Overview of surgical and anesthesia practice in sub-Saharan Africa during the 19th century: The example of the people of Bunyoro

Abstract

In 1879, during a missionary expedition in the actual Uganda, the British medical student Robert Felkin witnessed a cesarean delivery surgery under general anaesthesia performed by Bunyoro´s doctors. On this occasion he saw how Bunyoro´s medicine was well elaborate in comparison with other sub-Saharan African cultures but also with occidental medicine. Through his report, Felkin brought to light the high scientific medical level of the Bunyoro´s doctors far away from the prejudice of a traditional African medicine surrounded by superstition and witchcraft.