08/04/2018
The development of antibodies (vaccines)...
Application of “èpè lafií wèpè” in the control of smallpox (Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́)…
The Yoruba call it “Gbẹ́rẹ́”, others call it Inoculation/immunisation...
“èpè lafií wèpè" - a curse is the antidote to a curse
Smallpox (Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́) appeared around 10,000 BC and for centuries, this ferocious viral disease devastated mankind [1].
It killed millions worldwide until it was eradicated in 1980. The dread and ferocity of this disease led to its deification as a god by the Yoruba. As a god, it has its own cult and worshippers.
“The Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́ cult apply the seemingly counterintuitive principle of èpè lafií wèpè is a testimony to a much deeper understanding of its much wider implications. One of the steps in the initiation process into membership of certain Yoruba cults is the making of a set of incisions called gbẹ́rẹ́ on the body of the initiate.
When gbẹ́rẹ́ incisions are made, some substance is rubbed into the incision, introducing certain active ingredients into the person’s blood stream. In the Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́ cult, the substance that is robbed into the incisions is derived from infected bodies and so must contain attenuated smallpox virus as is the practice in modern medicine today. Hence, cult outsiders may see this initiation rite as a religious ritual, while knowledgeable members of the cult understand it as a scientific routine aimed at immunizing the initiate against smallpox infection.
It is not difficult to conceive that members of the Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́ cult know about the principles of inoculation; after all, they would have observed that survivors of the infection exhibit long-term immunity to the disease. Hence, if the curse of smallpox can be anticipated with the same curse in a controlled dose, immunity to the infection can be achieved. Indeed, in the case of smallpox and other diseases that yield to inoculation, èpè lafií wèpè, curses do neutralise themselves and this scientific knowledge is part of the Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́ cult insider's knowledge base.
Immunisation against smallpox infection prepared members of the Șọ̀npọ̀nọ́ cult for the very important public health roles they played in traditional Yoruba communities. The responsibility of controlling the spread of smallpox in the community by deliberate isolation and disposal of the belongings of smallpox victims in a controlled manner and thereby reducing contact with contaminated objects falls upon them.
Their ability to carry out this responsibility is certainly based on the scientific knowledge that the curse of smallpox can bẹ cursed out of their circumstances.” [2]
References:
1. Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination by Stefan Riedel, MD, PhD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1200696/
2. Culled from: Transmission Of Scientific Knowledge in Yoruba Oral Literature by Tunde Adegbola
(Chapter 2 of “YORUBA FICTION, ORATURE, AND CULTURE” by Oyekan Owomoyela)
For many centuries, smallpox devastated mankind. In modern times we do not have to worry about it thanks to the remarkable work of Edward Jenner and later developments from his endeavors. With the rapid pace of vaccine development in recent decades, the historic origins of immunization are often for...
