Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

Benjamin Oluwakayode Osuntokun (6 January 1935 – 22 September 1995), was a

researcher Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...

and

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

from Okemesi, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Known for discovering the cause of ataxic tropical neuropathy, he was a founding member of the Pan African Association of Neurological Sciences and an early advocate and researcher on tropical neurology.

Education

He had his primary and secondary education at the Holy Trinity School,

Ilawe Ekiti Ilawe Ekiti (also Ilawe or Ilawe-Ekiti) is a town in Ekiti State, Nigeria. In 1995, the population was around 179,900. Its geographic coordinates are 7° 35' 60 N and 5° 5' 60 E. Locality Ilawe Ekiti is divided into 8 different Quarters: Oke ...

, the Emmanuel School,

Ado Ekiti Ado Ekiti is the capital city of Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Ekiti central senatorial district, southwest, Nigeria. History Ado Ewi is an ancient city, founded by Ewi Awamaro the son of Biritikolu. Awamaro (the restles ...

and Christ's School Ado Ekiti. After, finishing his secondary education, he studied medicine at the University College, Ibadan when it was still affiliated to the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

Research and career

In 1963, he was invited by Prof Harold Scarborough to spend a year at the

Welsh National School of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine ( cy, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Caerdydd) is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouth ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

. He joined the research staff of the

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its ...

in 1964, as a medical research fellow. However, upon gaining a

Smith and Nephew Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people w ...

fellowship, he went abroad for further studies under the direction of Henry Miller and John Walton, both eminent neurologists in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. After spending some time in Newcastle, he took a job at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queens Square,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

before returning to Nigeria in 1965. It was at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 19 ...

he launched a productive career, working on neuro-epidemiology and clinical and investigative

neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

especially the study of

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

among Nigerians and

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. In the late 1960s, he investigated cases of

ataxic Ataxia is a neurological sign consisting of lack of voluntary Motor coordination, coordination of muscle movements that can include gait abnormality, speech changes, and abnormalities in eye movements. Ataxia is a clinical manifestation indicati ...

neuropathy in Epe where residents usually consume a dose of ill processed

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

with little or no supplement. He then mapped out the

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

of the

neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy, often shortened to neuropathy, is a general term describing disease affecting the peripheral nerves, meaning nerves beyond the brain and spinal cord. Damage to peripheral nerves may impair sensation, movement, gland, or o ...

and was able to study the basic aspects of the neuropathy. He discovered the disease was due to cyanide intoxication. At the time, little was done beyond clinical attention to the disease. His success in discovering the basis of tropical ataxic neuropathy earned him local and international acclaim in the medical community. Throughout his career, he wrote a number of scholarly works on his prodigious research on tropical epidemiology and was also Dean of Medicine at the

and later the Chief Medical Officer of that university's teaching hospital,

UCH Uch ( pa, ; ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town ...

. He died in 1995 and was buried in his native

Okemesi Okemesi-Ekiti is the local Government Headquarters of Okemesi/Idoile Local Government of Ekiti State, Nigeria, who's headquarts is the Ekiti town of Okemesi. Its population according to 2006 population census is 56,000 residents. Geography Ok ...

Ekiti State Ekiti State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkìtì) is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the north by Kwara State, to the northeast by Kogi State, to the south and southeast by Ondo State, and to the west by Osun State. Named for the Ekiti peo ...

. The onset of neuropathy after ingestion of ill-processed Cassava, due to Cyanide Intoxication, is known as the Osuntokun's Sign, and is commonly used in African Medical Lectures and Bulletins, but is not much known to countries outside Africa.

Publications

* * * *

Notes

References

*Adeloye Adelola
Professor B. Oluwakayode Osuntokun and his Nunc Dimittis
''African Journal of Neurological Sciences'', (1995) Vol. 14, No 2, (letter)

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20200607061952/https://ajns.paans.org/ *https://www.ui.edu.ng/uiicons/prof-osuntokun {{DEFAULTSORT:Osuntokun, Benjamin Oluwakayode Academic staff of the University of Ibadan Nigerian neurologists 1935 births 1995 deaths University of Ibadan alumni People from Ekiti State Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom Alumni of the University of London 20th-century Nigerian medical doctors Burials in Ekiti State Christ's School, Ado Ekiti alumni