Overcoming medical scholasticism in New Spain: experience and indigenous knowledge in Arias de Benavides’ treatment of syphilis

TL;DR

The paper explores how indigenous knowledge influenced European medical practices in New Spain, particularly in treating syphilis.

Contribution

It highlights the assimilation of indigenous healing practices into European medicine, challenging classical theories.

Findings

Benavides integrated indigenous knowledge into his medical treatments.

His approach questioned traditional European medical theories.

This integration improved treatment for diseases like syphilis in the New World.

Abstract

This article examines the impact of non-Western medical knowledge on European medicine during the Early Modern period, with a specific focus on the medical work of Spanish surgeon Pedro Arias de Benavides in New Spain. The paper discusses Benavides' innovative approach to treating syphilis in the New World, which challenged the inefficiencies of European scholastic medicine when dealing with diseases prevalent in the Americas. It shows that Benavides´scientific contribution stems from the assimilation of indigenous healing practices and American materia medica into his medical background, often questioning established classical medical theories.