Journal Article

KEEPING THE CITY TOTALLY CLEAN: YELLOW FEVER AND THE POLITICS OF PREVENTION IN COLONIAL SAINT-LOUIS-DU-SÉNÉGAL, 1850–1914

NGALAMULUME, KALALA

2004

Overview

This article explores the ways in which French colonial authorities met the life and death challenge represented by the re-emergence of yellow fever epidemics in Saint-Louis-du-Sénégal at a time when physicians knew very little about the etiology, diagnosis, transmission and treatment of most infectious and parasitic diseases. The discussion focuses on changing strategies and policies designed to address yellow fever threats, the attitudes and priorities of the authorities, the limits of ‘colonial medicine’ and the responses of people affected by sanitary measures. The article argues that because of the ignorance of the etiology and epidemiology of yellow fever, policies were misdirected and did not achieve their primary goals. Even after the introduction of germ theory, the gap between medical thinking and practice persisted for another decade. The African urban working class and underclass were the first victims of this state of affairs. The article also examines the conflict between the interests of public health, commerce and privacy rights.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Africa / African history / Attitudes / Business / Cities / Cognitive problems, arts and sciences, folk traditions, folklore / Colonialism / Colonization.(colonial history and chronicles) / Disease outbreaks / Epidemics / Epidemiology / Ethnology / Etiology / French language / Governors / Health / Historical source materials / History / Ignorance / Medical diagnosis / Medicine / Merchants / Parasitic diseases / Physicians / Politics / Privacy / Public health / Quarantines / Regional studies / Right of privacy / Senegal / Social classes / Social history / Sources and methods / Traditional and modern medicine; public health / Traditional sciences and medicine / Underclass / Verbal aggression / Victims / Working class / Yellow fever