Journal - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

Some Notes About the Influence of Arabian Medicine in
New Spain
Rolando NERI-VELA*
* Department of the History and Philosophy of Medicine Faculty of Medicine
National Autonomous University of Mexico, National Academy of Medicine Mexican Academy of Surgery, Mexico
e-mail : drnerivela@hotmail.com
New Spain was a viceroyalty of Spain between 1521 and 1821. In this three centuries, the practice and the teaching of medicine
had a great influence from Arabian medicine, because of the action of Arabs in Spain from VIII to XV centuries.
I will try to do some reflections about it.
Key Words; Medicine, Arabs, Avicenna, New Spain.
New Spain was a viceroyalty, part of the great
Spanish empire during three centuries, from 1521 to
1821. Its territory was occupied for part of the actual
United States, Mexico and Central America.
When Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec kingdom,
began a new life into the medicine, because
European medicine was mixed with aboriginal. The
Spanish science, in that times, was mostly medieval,
and so, was medicine. The medical, surgical and
pharmacological practice were in delay if we compare
it with the northern medicine of Europe. (1)
Surely all Spanish physicians who crossed the
ocean carried in their luggage the essential bibliographical
material for their profession., all of them
faithful to the knowledge of Avicenna.
In the same books that edited Mexican presses we
can know which one were. Francisco Bravo, who
arrived to New Spain after he had studied in Alcalá de
Henares and Osuna universities, in Spain, wrote the
first medical book edited in America, named Opera
Medicinalia, and cite, between others, authors like
Galen, Avicenna, Rhazes, Hippocrates, Thucydides,
Valles and Fracastoro. The works of Galen,
Hippocrates and Avicenna were indispensable books
for all medical doctors, and were edited many times.
About the works from Avicenna that came to New
Spain, we have a few notices. Avicenna was an
author cited for all who wrote medical books in the
Summary
Viceroyalty, and at the same time, it is rare the book
from Renaissance that didn’t include the Avicenna
theories in its texts.
Bravo didn’t say which of the Avicenna editions
consulted although he pointed treatises and chapters
of the work Canon, the most well known work from
Avicenna was, between XVI century. Spanish medical
doctors, an important work of consult, that was
interpreted and informed in medical schools, simultaneously
with Galen and Hippocrates.
There were many editions, but incunabula were
twenty, almost elaborated about the classical translation
from Gerard of Cremona, in XII century.
At the beginnings of the XVI century, in 1523
was published at Venice Praesens maximus codex est
totius scientiae medicine principis Alboali Abinsene,
monumental typographical work, and the most commented
edition from the Persian physician, in whose
interpretation supervised the most noted Italian doctors
of that times. It was an important book and
arrived to almost Spain medical centers. A copy of
this work was used in the ceremonies at Alcalá de
Henares to point out the themes for the grade exam.
During the XVI century there were in Spain the
Epitome or Compendium from Avicenna that was
drafted by Miguel Capella, and Prima primi canonis
Avicena section, written by Miguel Jerónimo de
Ledesma, Valencian lecturer, that although only
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