Garcia da Orta went there in 1534, when in his early forties, as medical adviser to a high-ranking official, later Governor of the colony. He spent the remaining 36 years of his life there, studying the medicinal properties of the local plants and trees. There are several copies in the Central Library of Panaji, Goa's capital. The extensive footnotes, full of detail on the personalities and life of 19th century British-ruled India and Portuguese Goa, are as fascinating as anything in the text. The English translation of the Ficalho edition, by Sir Clements Markham, does not, unfortunately, include much of the Ficalho footnotes.
Subject matter is wide-ranging.
Medicinal matters and the identification of plants are the focus, but there are lengthy digressions on anything from the taming of elephants to the rules of chess, said to have originated in India. Online material may not be reproduced in any form without specific permission from the webmaster .