<ul> <li> This book is the first to introduce medicine as the forgotten model of rule in central and east Africa</li> <li> This book introduces medicinal rule to replace the obsolete trope of divine kingship. It breaks with the old scholarly division of politics and religion</li> <li> This book is a rare comparative exercise revisiting classics of anthropology and African history thus taking into account data about 40 African cultural groups</li> <li> This book uses anthropology to develop and apply new methodologies in the study of African history</li></ul>