Artistic sources for the study of diseases and medical practices in Colonial Brazil
Autor: Mirla Fernandes | Publicado: 2013-02-19T04:50:00-08:00

Paintings, prints and drawings constitute important historical sources for the knowledge of the History of Medicine. Diseases, therapies and medical practices used throughout history have been the focus of attention of artists who left their records in illustrations of texts, the murals of churches, convents and hospitals.
Besides these artistic expression quoted above, the Historical of Medicine in Brasil also counts with the travel reports of scientists, artists and adventurers, who came to the Brazilian soil at the beginning of its history, as another source of information.
The healing practices found in these images were a mix of European scientific theory with religious mysticism, shamanism,and witchcraft. Throughout the Colonial period of Brazil (1500-1808) medical practice was carried out by professionals trained in European universities.

Until the early nineteenth century there were no schools teaching academic medicine. The vast majority of doctors in Brazil came from Portugal. These professionals adapted their theoretical knowledge with the magical and superstitious practices of the inhabitants with strong influence of African and indigenous medicine. On the other hand the teaching of Medicine in Portugal, like other sciences was marked by a huge discrepancy in relation to other European territories. In the second half , the reformed minister D. José - the Pombal Marquis- break the monopoly of education by graduating from a Jesuit university more open and in tune with the scientific advances of other European universities. To carry out the renowned university reform teachers were asked to focus on Dominic Agostino Vandelli (1735-1811) physician and professor at the University of Padua.

Vandelli prepared a project for Natural History Colony for the purpose of territorial recognition, human zoo, botanical and mineralogical. For that he leaded the creation of the Royal Museum and Botanical Garden annexed to the Royal Palace. Organized trips to Brazil naturalists to collect and classify specimens as flora. Later the lens of the University of Coimbra and Botanical Gardens Inspector said ... “give birth to the teaching of natural&nbsp; sciences - physics, chemistry, natural&nbsp; history, helping medicine and develop observation,&nbsp; experiment with medicinal plants to overcome the knowledge that is still studied&nbsp; in Aristoteles&nbsp; and the scholastics”(as&nbsp; cited, Carvalho, A Romulus- pedagogical activity of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries - Lisbon: publications II of the Centennial of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, 1981, pg49).

Vandelli also said: “I like to see beyond the plants together from all parts of the world and get out of them&nbsp; .... just the medicine ignores those who do not know&nbsp; how many plants in remote areas are found in gardens.” 

As a result of this attitude, Brazilian naturalists were sent to Portugal to exhibit their knowledge of Colonial flora. 

Among the most important naturalists are&nbsp; Frei José Mariano da&nbsp; Conceição Veloso who presented to the king&nbsp; a project for publishing books on natural history, research and dissemination on the life and nature in Brazil.




Use of Galenic therapy -Enema Tile panel of Regents of the University Federal da Bahia







Ritual practices of&nbsp; indigenous healing Image of History of Pharmacy Museum - Amsterdam




Calundu - African ritual



His proposition was deferred but Frei Veloso was appointed director of the Tipografia do Arco do Cego. This institution had to buy printing presses, formed a school of drawing, printmaking and watercolor to train artists capable of illustrating. There were over 60 works, treatises of Natural History, philosophy and art to illustration publishings.

In 1790&nbsp;&nbsp; the Tipografia do Arco do Cego, after a botanical expedition to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, published&nbsp; the Flora Fluminensis&nbsp; by Frei Veloso where
1400 plant species are described and illustrated.

When the Portuguese court was transfered to Brazil in 1808, the regent prince D. João VI, following the Vandelli’s practice of botanical studies, determined the creation of the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. There were invited a significative number of French scientists and artists, among them, Jean Baptiste Debret.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Installed in Rio de Janeiro in 1816, Debret began his iconographic records of the monarchy, society, culture, fauna and flora.
Artist traveler he was both teacher, designer, painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Debret produced comprehensive records on Brazil&nbsp; through his&nbsp; Voyage Pittoresque et Historique au Brésil, first&nbsp; published in 1834 in three volumes. 



Barber shop where applied suckers







Black Venus: practices of prostitution




Slave using metal mask to prevent eating land: common practice to patients with anemia



The invitation of French painters and scientists by D. João aimed to develop new Portuguese research centers academies for teaching arts and sciences. 
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Featuring among the hundreds of images in watercolors, lithographs, and drawings that illustrate and explain his journey and his&nbsp; work, showing the illness and medical practices, contributing this way to the study of the History of Medicine in Brazil.



Barber surgeon tending hygiene looking for lice