John Augustus Abayomi Cole was born in 1848 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, to Sierra Leonean parents. He became a proud West African as a result of his exposure to a variety of African cultures. He spent some time in Liberia, where he developed a strong passion for Pan-Africanism.
John Augustus Abayomi Cole
The majority of his works are concealed in extensive academic records and must be made available to everyday Africans. This intelligent African herbalist, farmer, politician, and doctor, who later served as an affiliate of the National Association of Medical Herbalists in the United Kingdom and played a significant role in the outbreak of the malaria epidemic in the 19th century, is not extensively discussed in the literature.
John’s parents moved back to Freetown, Sierra Leone, when he was four years old for unknown reasons. He went to school in Freetown until he went to Fourah Bay College in Freetown, where he got his bachelor’s degree in medicine.
John taught for a short time after graduating, before moving to the United States in his mid-20s. Through a petition he sent to the Wesleyan Methodist Church in the United States, John played a significant role in facilitating the return of freed West African slaves to Sierra Leone. In 1889, the West Africans arrived safely. John would leave the church shortly thereafter due to his various issues with Christianity and religion.
John continued his education in medicine in the United States, where he became a doctor and a Fellow of the Society of Apothecaries (F.S.A.). After reading a lot of theology and philosophy, he moved back to Sierra Leone in 1905 and started his own religious movement there. The Gospel Mission Hall, also known as the African Chruch, was the location where numerous traditional Africans began to worship.
John became interested in indigenous healing methods that used African herbs while he was practicing medicine. He would later become a well-known farmer who grew various herbs and plants for medicinal purposes.
As a medical and scientific advisor to the British Empire administrator sent to work in West Africa at the time, Governor Sir Leslie Probyn, John Cole rose to prominence as the most sought-after physician and herbalist in the region. He also traveled to the United Kingdom to work as an affiliate for the National Association of Medical Herbalists, arriving there whenever he was physically unable to do so.
To find treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and skin and eye diseases, John Cole combined his knowledge of traditional and modern medicine. To see the great herbalist, Whites and Blacks from all over West Africa traveled to Sierra Leone.
The invention of the “tea-bush,” which was made of camphor, lime, and spirit and was used to treat the flu in West Africa during the 1918 pandemic, will be one of his most significant works. Additionally, Dr. Cole prepared “Ekpe,” a well-liked poison-fighting remedy still in use in Sierra Leone.
When malaria began to kill a lot of White people in West Africa, the Colonial Government appointed Dr. John Augustus Abayomi Cole to help find a cure. The successful herbalist was able to make a mixture of herbs, which he gave to his patients. After a few weeks, they would come back with the same symptoms.
He established an organization to work with volunteers, who came to be known as the “mosquito missionaries,” as he was concerned about the Malaria pandemic. With the assistance of the colonial government, the volunteers were sent to the homes of White people and locals all over West Africa.
According to the findings of the study, poor sanitation and the breeding of mosquitoes in stagnant household water were the root causes of malaria. After that, the volunteers were sent back to give people advice on how to live, which significantly reduced the number of Malaria deaths. The Colonial Government paid each volunteer based on the number of months they worked, impressed by his work.
In addition to his extensive medical work, Dr. Cole wrote a number of academic papers on traditional African practices. His 1904 paper, “Philosophy of Paganism,” was the most widely read. In addition, he enjoyed a great deal of acclaim on the political scene and provided the impetus for the formation of numerous pressure groups in Sierra Leone.
John Cole received an honorary doctorate from the College of Liberia in 1926 and was presented with the insignia of Knight Commander of the Liberian Order of African Redemption in 1914 for his outstanding contributions.
He is referred to as a gifted individual with an ever-young appearance. In 1942, he passed away at the age of 93.