Diseases in the Indies and the legitimacy of the social aspiration of criollos in the medical work of Juan de Cárdenas

Abstract

This paper analyzes the ideas and work of the medical doctor Juan de Cárdenas on the most common diseases in the Indies during the sixteenth century. Firstly, it shows how for Cárdenas, based on the humoral theory developed by classical medical authorities, the diseases in the Indies are caused by the humidity and hot weather of this region. His main consideration was that these climatological conditions give rise to both unhealthy food and idling behaviors among individuals. His analysis included diseases produced by unknown causes such as syphilis and cocoliztli. Secondly, this paper shows Cárdenas used humoral theory to develop a moral discourse mainly focused on two objectives: 1) to discredit the food, customs and way of life of the inhabitants of the New World; 2) to overvalue what he characterized as the virtues of criollos. This allowed Cardenas, on the one hand, to disapprove of the behavior and costumes of indios, mulatos and negros, and, on the other, to counter what peninsular Spanish people stigmatized as the bad reputation of criollos. Thus, this paper concludes that Cárdenas’ medical work entailed a moral and political discourse that legitimized the aspirations of criollos to occupy the highest spheres of power in the New Spain society, spaces that the Spanish crown gave to peninsular Spanish people.