The War Against Epidemics in Colonial Guatemala, 1519-1821

108 Pages·1999·0.53 MB·English

by  Lawrence H. Feldman

The War Against Epidemics
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The War Against Epidemics
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© Copyright 1999 Lawrence H. Feldman
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The War Against Epidemics
_____________________________________________
The War Against Epidemics
in Colonial Guatemala
1519-1821
by
Lawrence H. Feldman
______________________________________
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The War Against Epidemics
Contents
PREFACE 8
The Stench of the Dead 13
Impact of the Epidemics 14-15
Colonial Government and Boundaries 15
Medical Practice in the Colony 21
Medical Education and Administration 22
Saints and Devils 23
Native drugs for the Healing of Measles and Smallpox 28
Inoculation 46-47
The Vaccination Crusade Against Smallpox, 1798-1804 56-59
The Fevers of Amatitlan, 1814 84
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
"Of the Epidemic Called Cocoliztli and the Image of Death Called San
Pascual" by Antonio Fuentes y Guzman (late seventeenth century) 24-27
"Procedure Used in the Curing of Measles and
Smallpox, Prepared at the Request of the Government as per the Order of the
Fiscal of His Majesty in the Present Year of 1769"
by Manual Avalos y Porras and Francisco Desplanques (1769) 29-34
Reports on A New Disease, 1786-1787
by Jose de Estacheria (1788-1787) 35-37
Correspondence on Typhus
by Pedro Aparicis, Francisco Xavier de Aguirre, Toribio Josef Carbajal,
Francisco Solivera, Josef Bonilla, Jose Antonio Cordoba, and Ignacio Guerra
(1797-1798) 38-44
Testimony of a Provincial Governor 39-41
Relief for Jumaytepeque 41-44
Correspondence on Smallpox
by Domingo Gonzalez, Francisco Sebastian Chamorro, and Jose Camposeco
Lorenzana (1795) 45-55
"Laws for the Propagation and Establishment of the Vaccine in the
Kingdom of Guatemala" [by Jose Antonio Cordoba, 1805] 60-82
ARTICLE I. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE. 60-64
ARTICLE II. PROVINCIAL COMMITTEES 65-67
ARTICLE III. PROPAGATION OF THE VACCINE 67-71
ARTICLE IV. PERPETUITY OR ESTABLISHMENT 72-75
ARTICLE V. PRIESTS AND JUDGES. 75-77
ARTICLE VI. THE PHYSICIANS 77-79
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The War Against Epidemics
ARTICLE VII. THE VACCINATORS 79-80
ARTICLE VIII. PORTS AND FRONTIER ESTABLISHMENTS 80-81
ARTICLE IX. THE SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC 81-82
"Simple and Easy Instructions for Curing the Fevers that Currently 85-87
exist in Amatitlan" by Narciso Esparragosa y Gallardo (1814)
SOURCES 88-89
REFERENCES CITED 90-101
INDEX 102
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The War Against Epidemics
Maps of Guatemala and Some of its Provinces in 1800
Guatemala 9
Escuintla 10
Amatitanes 11
Totonicapan 12
Tables
Major Colonial Guatemala Epidemics 16-18
Measles 16
Smallpox 16-17
Typhus 18
Other Epidemic Diseases in Colonial Guatemala 19
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The War Against Epidemics
For Richard, Samantha, Gabrielle, Alexandra, Shana, Davey, Jacqueline,
Rhonda and her husband, Dave the M.D.
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The War Against Epidemics
Preface
There are many works on medicine in Colonial Guatemala. This is one more such
endeavor. What makes this work different is that it is neither a broad history nor restricted
to an ethnic group or organization. Instead it confronts a particular problem; what to do
when an epidemic strikes? Looking at it from the viewpoint of those who actually had to
face this menace, the words of those who needed to take action are given in English
translation. The first part offers a discussion of the setting, the times and places in which
these happenings took place, and presents some conclusions on the effects of all these
efforts. The second part of each section gives the actual words of the people effected by the
epidemics.
In this second edition of Epidemics in Colonial Guatemala, I have made changes in the
manner of citing references, corrected some errata and provided some additional material
prepared for the earlier edition but, because of space limitations, not included in that edition.
No attempt has been made to review the literature since 1991, that I will leave for those who
wish to pursue this topic further.
I wish to take this opportunity to express my thanks those at the School of Medicine whose
editing improved the first edition and that the same school for their permission to do a
revised edition under another publisher.
Lawrence H. Feldman, Ph.D

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