Esperanzas quebrantadas: las terapéuticas del matlazahuatl en cuatro textos novohispanos del siglo XVIII

Abstract

The therapeutic methods used to face the different matlazahuatl outbreaks in the 18th century were reviewed, based on four New Hispanic writings from that period. The medicine of the Age of Enlightenment, in the process of more modern developments, did not yet influence medical practices in New Spain, as can be seen in the palliative and curative resources employed, as well as in their efficacy, in the light of the testimonies collected.

The medical literature and other texts generated at that time describe the symptoms and assign various terms that obscure the identification of matlazahuatl, factors that have been considered in this work when examining the epidemic phenomenon.