David Livingstone and the myth of African poverty and disease : a close examination of his writing on the pre-colonial era

Abstract

This study about David Livingstone is different from all other publications about him. Here, Livingstone is not the main topic of interest; the focus is on nutrition and health in precolonial Africa and Livingstone is the author's key informant, as a medical doctor, sharp observer, and talented writer. After a close examination of Livingstone's writings and comparative reading of contemporary authors, the present author has been able to draw cautious conclusions about the relatively favourable conditions of health and nutrition in southern and central Africa during the precolonial period. His findings shed new light on the medical history of Sub-Saharan Africa. The surprise awaiting 19th century and earlier travellers in Africa was that the inhabitants of the interior, even the 'slaves', were healthier and better fed than many of their contemporaries in Europe's Industrial Revolution