Med Trop (Mars). 1981 May-Jun; 41(3): 291-6.

[Traditional concept of epilepsy in Dogon people (author's transl)]

Miletto G.

Dogon people has a very particular culture which has been rather thoroughly studied in the last fifty years. Dogons do know the successive aspects of generalized grand mal epilepsy and its differences with sacred fits and other magic behaviours. Epilepsy is believed to be of magic origin. Its is caused by a malignant spirit from, most often, an hereditary transmission. Inside families, segregating measures are still generally taken in order to prevent contamination. The mental features often observed in epileptic patients have been noted by Dogons. Indigenous treatments receive little confidence among the Dogons themselves.