“A Rapid Course to Death”: Cerebrospinal Meningitis and Epidemic Seasonality in Northern Nigeria, 1905–1939
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eze-akaeze-sm-sts-2026-thesis.pdf
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Author(s)
Eze, Odinaka Kingsley
Advisor(s)
Mavhunga, Clapperton Chakanetsa
Date Issued
February 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This research examines three significant outbreaks of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in Northern Nigeria before the advent of sulfonamide —1905–1908, 1919–1924, and 1935–1938/1939. Narrated through the lens of “Epidemic Seasonality,” it explores the seasonal interactions between CSM and Northern Nigeria’s climatic conditions. How did CSM become known as a seasonal disease? How did this seasonal character of CSM influence the continued presence of the disease in colonial and postcolonial Nigeria? The 1905-1908 cycle assesses the pathology investigation launched by the colonial medical team in Zungeru to determine the nature of CSM, contending that this was part of the colonial process of thingification. The paper then discusses the epidemics of 1919-1924, focusing on the Emirs’ interpretations of preventive measures. This section also highlights the efficacy of an indigenous therapy in treating CSM—the only instance where the colonial archive would record a 100% success rate. Lastly, it evaluates how efforts to prevent future outbreaks of CSM, following the mid-to-late 1930s outbreaks, contrast with the closure of the Zaria School of Pharmacy in 1936. Through tracking official health records in the National Archives and medical reports about the disease, the study reveals how the narratives of seasons were interwoven with each epidemic cycle, regardless of the colonial control measures adopted.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Science, Technology and Society
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