The white coats at the independence of Mali

This book is a journey through time (colonial independence and post-independence) to describe the action of African doctors pharmacists midwives nurses and social workers in their fight against infectious diseases epidemics and the prevention of childhood diseases through vaccinations among others. Far from being exhaustive this book attempts to explore this past both distant and near and to provide elements of response by tracing on the one hand the history of what medicine was in colonial times the requirements that led the colonial power to train these men and women whom we have called white coats and on the other hand by describing their educational and professional careers while evoking at times the memories that have marked them. It is this forgotten part of our history that we want to make known to the general public and particularly to young people and to the current generation of health professionals.