HISTORIA Y MEDICINA On New Spain and Mexican medicinal botany in cardiology Alfredo de Micheli-Serra,* Raúl Izaguirre-Ávila* * Departamento de Hematología, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. ABSTRACT En torno a la botánica medicinal novohispana y mexicana en cardiología Towards the middle of the XVI century, the empirical physi- cian Martín de la Cruz, in New Spain, compiled a catalogue of RESUMEN the local medicinal herbs and plants, which was translated into Latin by Juan Badiano, professor at the Franciscan colle- A mediados del siglo XVI el médico empírico novohispano ge of Tlatelolco. On his side, Dr. Francisco Hernández, the ro- Martín de la Cruz recopiló un catálogo de hierbas medicina- yal physician (protomédico) from 1571 until 1577, performed les locales, cuyo texto original, en náhuatl, fue traducido al a systematic study of the flora and fauna in this period. His latín por Juan Badiano, profesor en el colegio Franciscano notes and designs were not published at that time, but two epi- de Tlatelolco. Años después, el doctor Francisco Hernández, tomes of Hernández’ works appeared, respectively, in 1615 in protomédico de la Nueva España en el periodo 1571-1577, Mexico and in 1651 in Rome. During the XVIII century, two efectuó un estudio sistematizado de la flora y la fauna mexi- Spanish scientific expeditions arrived to these lands. They canas. Los apuntes y dibujos por él reunidos a lo largo de were led, respectively, by the Spanish naturalist Martín Sessé aquellos años no llegaron a publicarse en su tiempo. Pero and the Italian seaman, Alessandro Malaspina di Mulazzo, de- sendos epítomes de la obra hernandina fueron publicados, pendent from the Spanish Government. These expeditions respectivamente, en 1615 en México y en 1651 en Roma. En el collected and carried rich scientific material to Spain. At the siglo XVIII, llegaron a tierras novohispanas dos expedicio- end of that century, the Franciscan friar Juan Navarro depic- nes científicas españolas dirigidas, respectivamente, por el ted and described several Mexican medicinal plants in the fifth naturalista Martín Sessé y por Alessandro Malaspina di Mu- volume of his botanic work. In the last years of the colonial lazzo, marino italiano al servicio del gobierno de España. period, the fundamental works of Humboldt and Bonpland on Los expedicionarios recogieron un valioso material científico the geographic distribution of the American plants were pu- que en su mayor parte se trasladó a Madrid. A finales de blished. In the modern age, the first research about the Mexi- dicho siglo, el español fray Juan Navarro O.F.M. dibujó y can medicinal botany was performed in the laboratory of the describió numerosas plantas medicinales novohispanas en el Instituto Médico Nacional [National Medical Institute] under quinto tomo de su obra botánica. En las postrimerías de la the leadership of Dr. Fernando Altamirano, who started phar- época colonial salieron a la luz dos obras fundamentales de macological studies in this country. Later, trials of cardio- Humboldt y Bonpland acerca de la distribución geográfica vascular pharmacology were performed in the small de las plantas americanas. En la época moderna, las prime- laboratories of the cardiological unit at the General Hospital ras investigaciones concernientes a la botánica medicinal of Mexico City, on Dr. Ignacio Chávez’ initiative. The Mexican mexicana se realizaron en el laboratorio del Instituto Médi- botanical-pharmacological tradition persists alive and vigo- co Nacional, bajo la guía del doctor Fernando Altamirano, rous at the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología and other scien- iniciador de estudios farmacológicos en México. Años des- tific institutions of the country. pués, ensayos de farmacología cardiológica se efectuaron en los pequeños laboratorios anexos al pabellón de cardiología del Hospital General de la capital de la República, por ini- ciativa del doctor Ignacio Chávez, y se continuaron en el Instituto Nacional de Cardiología de México y en otras insti- tuciones científicas del país. Key words. New Spain herbaria. New Spain botanical text- Palabras clave. Herbolaria medicinal novohispana. Textos books. Mexican medicinal plants. botánicos en bibliotecas novohispanas. Estudios farmacoló- gicos mexicanos. Revistai de Investigaciónesi Clínica / Vol. 66, Núm. 2 / Marzo-Abril, 2014 / pp 194-199 INTRODUCTION carum Novae Hispaniae Thesaurus.7 The book includes 13 Tabulae phytosophicae of the naturalist In the XVI century, the herbarium of the indige- Federico Cesi, president of that institution. This was nous physician Martín de la Cruz (1552),1 a work the first attempt to classify the vegetables and includes called Codex de la Cruz-Badiano after both the origi- several engravings and comments from European nal author and the translator from Náhuatl to Latin, authors. For a long time it was considered the only mentions the yoloxochitl1 (Figure 1). But, it is only as- document known about the multiple research works cribed a decongestant effect. Among the other medici- made by Hernández. However, between 1780 and 1781, nal plants, drawn by the local tlacuilos (indigenous Juan Bautista Muñoz, a cosmographer of Indies, people trained to represent pictorially the codices and discovered in the library of the Imperial College of murals), the nonochton (a genus of the Cacataceae) Madrid (an ex-Jesuit school) a copy of the original text can be found, it is recommended against cordis dolor- of Hernández. This was trusted to the naturalist em, i.e., against cardiac pain, which, according to Casimiro Gómez Ortega, director of the Botanical some interpreters,2 could correspond to angina pec- Garden of Madrid, who published it in 1790.8 toris. The tlacacamohtlí herb (fine tubercule) is also Likewise, the Dominican friar, Francisco Ximénez, depicted; its root is indicated against cordis calorem. included an extract of the epitome of Hernández’ It must be considered that this manuscript is ac- work in his publication Quatro libros de la naturale- tually a recipe book, it is not a pharmacopeia.3 How- za y virtudes de las plantas… [Four books on the ever, “this Libellus is now the basis to understand nature and virtues of plants…] printed in México the role of the Mexican medicinal plants among the without illustrations in 1615.9 The author declared cultures of the past, as well as among contemporary the following: “[…] I wish to make known the real societies”.4,5 On the other hand, several specimens medicine of this land, being needed so much, since of the flora from New Spain were drawn and the land is not populated and with many needs for described by the Sevillan physician Nicolás Monardes those that live in small communities and mines (the original last name was Monardi), based on the where no physician or pharmacist exists to seek for accounts of the travelers returning from the New a remedy”. When he lived in the Oaxtepec Hospital World to their home country. These specimens were from the Brothers of Charity –a religious Mexican included in the botanical treatise by Charles de congregation organized by the venerable Bernardino l’Ecluse (Carolus Clusius).6 Álvarez–, and also during his stay in the Dominican The first systemized study on the Mexican flora convent in the capital city of New Spain, Ximénez and fauna is due to the valuable efforts of the Span- performed his own research rectifying or corroborat- ish physician Francisco Hernández, who remained ing data transmitted by Hernández. in Mexican lands from 1571 to 1577 as royal king At the beginning of the XVIII century, the book (protomédico) of New Spain. He mentioned likewise Florilegio medicinal de todas enfermedades10 [Medic- the yoloxóchitl, to which he attributed some cardiot- inal anthology of all diseases] appeared, which was onic action: “large tree […] with heart-shaped flow- substantially a manual of medical therapeutics to be ers […] which, mixed with shells of cacaoatl, used by the missionaries. It was published in 1712 strengthen the heart and stomach [...] and are very by the Jesuit Juan de Esteyneffer (Steinhöffer), from much appreciated by the indigenous people.” But we Silesia. do not know how much of the effects were due to Towards the middle of the century, while spread- those flowers or to the cacao rich in amines. ing in Europe the beneficial effects of the sociocul- The notes taken by Hernández, duly pasted into tural movement known as the Aufklärung [Age of 17 volumes, remained long forgotten in the Escorial Enlightment], the European sovereigns themselves Library, where they were destroyed almost com- fostered the development and systematization of the pletely by the 1671-fire. natural sciences. Later on, in the XVII century, the Italian physician Resembling the Jardin des plantes in Paris, es- Antonio Nardo Recco or Recchi, alumnus from the fa- tablished in 1626 by Guy de la Brosse, the Borbon mous Medical School of Salermo, elaborated in Latin government of Spain promoted the creation of the an epitome of Hernández’ work at the request from the Botanical Garden of Madrid. Besides, they fostered Spanish King himself, Phillip II. This work was print- long exploration and study trips through the vast ed in Rome, under the sponsorship of the Lincean extension of the Hispanic Empire. Regarding New Academy (Accademia dei Lincei, name in Italian) and Spain, expeditions headed, respectively, by the phy- saw the light in 1651 under the title Rerum Medi- sician and botanist Martín Sessé, and by the Italian de Micheli Serra A, et al. On New Spain and Mexican medicinal botany in cardiology. Rev InvestInv ClinCl 2014; 66 (2): 194-199 195 seaman Alessandro Malaspina di Mulazzo at the was published only until 1889. Mociño, on his side, service of the Spanish government were of great im- translated and published the treatise Elements of portance. The first explored all the New Spain and Medicine from the Scottish author John Brown gathered a magnificent herbarium that was trans- (México, 1803).13 The Mexican Flora, gathered by ported to the Botanical Garden of Madrid in 1820.