Latunde Odeku

E.Latunde Odeku (born, Emanuel Olatunde Alaba Olanrewaju Odeku, 1927, Lagos, Nigeria – died, London, 1974) was the first Nigerian neurosurgeon trained in the United States who also pioneered neurosurgery in Africa.[1][2]

E. Latunde Odeku
Born
Emanuel Olatunde Alaba Olanrewaju Odeku

(1927-06-29)June 29, 1927
Lagos, Nigeria
DiedAugust 20, 1974(1974-08-20) (aged 47)
London, England
NationalityNigerian-American
Alma materHoward University
Known forFirst African neurosurgeon trained in the United States; first neurosurgeon in Nigeria.
Scientific career
FieldsNeurosurgery

Early life and education

Of Yoruba heritage,[3][4] Latunde was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father was a native of Awe[5] while his mother was a Lagosian. He attended Methodist Boys High School, Lagos.[6][7][8][9] and proceeded to Howard University and graduated summa cum laude in Zoology in 1950. He was subsequently awarded a scholarship to study Medicine at Howard University, earning his MD in 1954.

Medical career

After passing the Licencuate Medical exam of Canada, Latunde spent the following year in Nigeria as a medical officer at the Lagos General Hospital. In 1961, he returned to the United States and was offered a residency position, training under Dr. Kahn (from 1956 to 1960) at the University of Michigan. Afterwards, he trained in Neurology under Dr. Webb Haymaker at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C . He subsequently underwent another pediatric neurosurgery residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia under Dr. Eugene Spitz, creator of the Spitz-Holter valve for treating hydrocephalus. In 1961, he was appointed Instructor of Neuroanatomy and Neurosurgery at the College of Medicine, Howard University.

Although Latunde was subsequently offered multiple appointments including two distinguished academic neurosurgery faculty positions in the United States; however, he chose to return to Nigeria. Latunde came to the University of Ibadan in 1962 as the first neurosurgeon of West Africa. In 1962, he was appointed as senior faculty and became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In 1965, he was appointed as a Professor of Neurosurgery; from 1968 to 1971, serving as the head of the Department of Surgery and the Dean of the University of Ibadan College of Medicine. He also established the National and West African Postgraduate Medical Colleges and the initiation processes at the University of Ibadan College of Medicine, presently performed in all Nigerian medical schools.[10][11][12]

Latunde was also a poet and writer: He made significant contributions to the neurosurgical literature, publishing 61 scientific articles over a period of about 12 years.

Latunde was awarded the Howard University alumni award for a distinguished service.[13]

Personal life

Latunde was married twice both times to medical doctors. His first marriage was blessed with two children before they got divorced. In 1971 he married the then Jill Katherine Adcock, an English medical doctor who was working at the University College Hospital. Their marriage was blessed with two children - Alan, who was born in October 1971 and Amanda born in January 1973.[14]

In his lifetime, despite being a busy medical practitioner, Latunde solely and jointly published 85 medically related articles and 13 other articles related to general topics. As an accomplished physician-poet, he authored two collections of poetry: Twilight: Out of the Night (1964), and Whispers from the Night (1969).[14]

Later years

From 1972, his health began to fail from complications of Diabetes. He died on August 20, 1974 at Hammersmith Hospital, London and was laid to rest at St Peter's Church, Burnham, England.[15][16]

Published works

References
  1. Sanley Finger; Francois Boller; Kenneth L. Tyler (2009). History of Neurology: Handbook of Clinical Neurology (Series Editors: Aminoff, Boller and Swaab). 95. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-702-0354-18.
  2. Adeloye (1975). "E. Latunde Odeku, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S., 1927-1974. An African pioneer neurosurgeon". Journal of the National Medical Association. Journal of National Medical Association. 67 (4): 319–320. PMC 2609380. PMID 1099223.
  3. "In the Backyards of Life: Challenges of a National Health Policy". Development and Policy Centre. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  4. "Biographies - JStor". JSTOR 3818675&ved=0ahUKEwirrpLjuYrLAhVBoBQKHZWiC6w4ChAWCCIwBA&usg=AFQjCNGYTdennYBdnhr8-Qbz2LbQ2N8l5w&sig2=XlHr6aks4M1y_X9auejvyA.
  5. Adelola Adeloye (1997). E. Latunde Odeku, an African neurosurgeon. the University of Michigan. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  6. "THE NEUROSURGEON AS HUMANIST: THE HUMANISM IN LATUNDE ODEKU'S WHISPERS FROM THE NIGHT". African Journal of Neurological Sciences. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  7. JKC Emejulu (Department of Surgery, Nnamdi Azikiwe University). "NEUROSURGERY IN NIGERIA- AN EVALUATION OF THE PERCEPTION OF HEALTH PERSONNEL IN AN EW CENTRE ANDA COMPARISON OF THE NIGERIAN SITUATION WITH THAT OF OTHER AFRICAN STATES". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. McClelland, Shearwood III M.D.; Harris, Kimbra S. B.S. (2007). "E. Latunde Odeku". Neurosurgery. Congress of Neurological Surgeons. 60 (4): 769–772. doi:10.1227/01.NEU.0000255410.69022.E8. PMID 17415215. S2CID 24789512.
  9. "M. Deborrah Hyde, MD, MS: The Second African-American Female Neurosurgeon" (pdf). Retrieved February 23, 2016. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. Adeloye, Adelola. (1976). ". Latunde Odeku, an African neurosurgeon /". Hathitrust Digital Library (13): 143. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  11. Adell Patton (1996). Physicians, Colonial Racism, and Diaspora in West Africa. University Press of Florida. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-813-0143-26. Retrieved February 23, 2016. Latunde Odeku first Nigerian African American Black Neurosurgeon.
  12. McClelland, Shearwood III M.D.; Harris, Kimbra S. B.S. (2007). "Legacies of E. LATUNDE ODEKU: THE FIRST AFRICAN‐AMERICAN NEUROSURGEON TRAINED IN THE UNITED STATES" (PDF). Neurosurgery. 60 (4): 769–772. doi:10.1227/01.NEU.0000255410.69022.E8. PMID 17415215. S2CID 24789512. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  13. "Meet the First neurosurgeon in Nigeria, Who Divorced his Wife Because he Wanted to Serve in Nigeria - Opera News". ng.opera.news. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  14. Omobowale, Emmanuel Babatunde. "Literature and Medicine: an Appraisal of Latunde Odeku's Twilight: Out of the Night" (PDF). www.otago.ac.nz. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  15. "Famed Nigerian doctor, Howard Graduate dies". Google News. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  16. "Latunde Odeku". 47. Johnson Publishing Company (The weekly source of African American political and entertainment). October 17, 1974. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  17. Odeku, E. Latunde. (1964). Twilight: out of the night. [Printed by Abiodun Printing Works]. OCLC 645142291.
  18. Odeku, E. Latunde. (1978). Publications of E. Latunde Odeku. University of Ibadan. OCLC 7134079.
  19. "E. Latunde Odeku". Journal of Neurosurgery. 42 (3). 1975. doi:10.3171/jns.1975.42.3.0364. ISSN 0022-3085.
  20. Odeku, E. Latunde. (1969). Whispers from the night. OCLC 643893775.
  21. Odeku, EL (2011-03-02). "Beginnings of Neurosurgery at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria". Annals of Ibadan Postgraduate Medicine. 5 (2): 85–98. doi:10.4314/aipm.v5i2.64029. ISSN 1597-1627. PMID 14320459.
  22. Adeloye, A.; Odeku, E. L. (1971-02-01). "Congenital Subgaleal Cysts over the Anterior Fontanelle in Nigerians". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 46 (245): 95–98. doi:10.1136/adc.46.245.95. ISSN 0003-9888. PMC 1647574. PMID 5555494.
  23. Adeloye, Adelola Odeku, E. Latunde (1971). "Congenital Subgaleal Cysts over the Anterior Fontanelle in Nigerians". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 46 (245): 95–8. doi:10.1136/adc.46.245.95. OCLC 679092412. PMC 1647574. PMID 5555494.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. Adeloye, A.; Odeku, E. L. (1971-02-01). "Epilepsy after missile wounds of the head". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 34 (1): 98–103. doi:10.1136/jnnp.34.1.98. ISSN 0022-3050. PMC 493694. PMID 4994609.
  25. Adeloye, Adelola Odeku, E. Latunde (1971). "Epilepsy after missile wounds of the head". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 34 (1): 98–103. doi:10.1136/jnnp.34.1.98. OCLC 678452329. PMC 493694. PMID 4994609.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  26. Odeku, E. Latunde (1971-01-01). "Perspectives in Neurosurgery". Neurosurgery. 18 (CN_suppl_1): 41–61. doi:10.1093/neurosurgery/18.cn_suppl_1.41. ISSN 0148-396X. PMID 9015633.
  27. Adeloye, Adelola; Latunde Odeku, E. (1971). "The radiology of missile head wounds". Clinical Radiology. 22 (3): 312–320. doi:10.1016/s0009-9260(71)80079-x. ISSN 0009-9260. PMID 5559101.
  28. Adeloye, Adelola. (1976). Biography - E. Latunde Odeku, an African neurosurgeon. [publisher not identified]. OCLC 4404331.
  29. Decola, Freya D. Verfasser (1984). Three decades of medical research at the College of Medicine, Ibadan, Nigeria 1948 - 1980 ; a list of the papers publ. by members of the College of Med. of the Univ. of Ibadan from its foundation through 1980. Ibadan University Press. ISBN 978-121-157-1. OCLC 1072308830.
  30. Adeloye, A. E. Latunde Odeku, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S., 1927-1974. An African pioneer neurosurgeon. National Medical Association. OCLC 678249112. PMID 1099223.
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