Isaac Ladipo Oluwole
Encyclopedia
Isaac Ladipo Oluwole was a Nigerian doctor who made important improvements to the public health services in Nigeria
.
.
He and James Churchill Vaughan were both among the pioneer students at King's College, Lagos
when it opened in September 1909. Oluwole was the first Senior Prefect of the School.
Later Oluwole and Vaughan both went to the University of Glasgow
in 1913 to study Medicine.
The two students were conspicuous by their color, and were subject to racial prejudice. Oluwole was called "Darkness visible" after the phrase from Milton
's Paradise Lost
.
After graduating as MB, ChB in 1918, Oluwole returned to Nigeria.
He went into general practice in Abeokuta
for a few years, then returned to Glasgow
to take his DPH.
.
Oluwole founded the first School of Hygiene in Nigeria, at Yaba, Lagos, providing training to Sanitary Inspectors from all parts of Nigeria. On graduation they obtained the Diploma of the Royal Institute of Public Health
, London.
He re-organised sanitary inspection procedures in the port of Lagos to control the spread of bubonic plague.
The plague, breaking out in unsanitary shanty towns in Lagos, caused many deaths between 1924 and 1930.
Many of the slums were demolished, forcing their inhabitants to resettle into the unregulated suburbs.
Among other achievements, Oluwole opened the Massey Street Dispensary, reclaimed swampy islands to aid in malaria control and built a new abattoir to improve food hygiene.
Oluwole started the first school health services in Lagos in 1925.
He introduced regular sanitary inspections and vaccinations of children.
Oluwole was appointed Medical Officer of Health in 1936.
In 1940 Oluwole was awarded the Order of the British Empire
(OBE).
When he died in 1953 he was recognized as the father of public health in Nigeria.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Early years
Isaac Lapido Oluwole was born around 1892, son of the Anglican bishop Isaac OluwoleIsaac Oluwole
Isaac Oluwole was a Nigerian bishop of Sierra Leonean and Egba heritage. He was one of the most prominent emigrants from Sierra Leone resident in Lagos during the second half of the nineteenth century. From 1879-1893, he was the principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos and was later ordained a...
.
He and James Churchill Vaughan were both among the pioneer students at King's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits male students only, although there were some female HSC students before the...
when it opened in September 1909. Oluwole was the first Senior Prefect of the School.
Later Oluwole and Vaughan both went to the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1913 to study Medicine.
The two students were conspicuous by their color, and were subject to racial prejudice. Oluwole was called "Darkness visible" after the phrase from Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
.
After graduating as MB, ChB in 1918, Oluwole returned to Nigeria.
He went into general practice in Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
for a few years, then returned to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to take his DPH.
Medical officer
In 1925 Oluwole was appointed the first African assistant Medical Officer of Health in LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
.
Oluwole founded the first School of Hygiene in Nigeria, at Yaba, Lagos, providing training to Sanitary Inspectors from all parts of Nigeria. On graduation they obtained the Diploma of the Royal Institute of Public Health
Royal Institute of Public Health
Royal Institute of Public Health is a British awarding body recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.- History :In October 2008 the RIPH merged with the RSH to form the new Royal Society for Public Health...
, London.
He re-organised sanitary inspection procedures in the port of Lagos to control the spread of bubonic plague.
The plague, breaking out in unsanitary shanty towns in Lagos, caused many deaths between 1924 and 1930.
Many of the slums were demolished, forcing their inhabitants to resettle into the unregulated suburbs.
Among other achievements, Oluwole opened the Massey Street Dispensary, reclaimed swampy islands to aid in malaria control and built a new abattoir to improve food hygiene.
Oluwole started the first school health services in Lagos in 1925.
He introduced regular sanitary inspections and vaccinations of children.
Oluwole was appointed Medical Officer of Health in 1936.
In 1940 Oluwole was awarded the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE).
When he died in 1953 he was recognized as the father of public health in Nigeria.