Soc Sci Med. 1989 ; 28(9): 985-96.

Food taboos in maternal and child health: the views of traditional healers in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Odebiyi AI.

Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

This paper reports the interviews with 82 randomly selected healers in Ile-Ife about food taboos in relation to maternal and child health. The healers were asked to list the childhood ailments they treat most often and the food proscriptions and prescriptions associated with these ailments. Of particular interest in the study was the fact that these food proscriptions and prescriptions form an integral part of traditional medical procedures in that relapses or slow rate of recovery are sometimes attributed to a break of these food norms. Moreover, these proscriptions and prescriptions reflect: (i) the healers' concept of the various childhood diseases and (ii) the healers' belief in the respect for the traditional Yoruba gods in health matters. It was further noted that although these taboos reinforce the beliefs in traditional medicine, their relevance from the point of view of the health of the clientele needs further investigation.