Practice and Teaching of Anatomy in the Real Universidad de Mexico, 16th and 17th centuries

Abstract

This paper focuses on the first anatomical studies of human bodies and the development of the practice in New Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Even before the Royal University of Mexico developed an anatomy chair, dissections were already very common throughout the Viceroyalty. During the second half of the 16th century, physicians and surgeons conducted autopsies for diverse purposes, suggesting that New Spain was influenced by the anatomical reform of the Renaissance. Later, in 1621, it was created the chair of anatomy and surgery in Mexican university, giving royal institutions greater control over scientific development and knowledge. As a result, anatomical studies stagnated, as a concession to Counter-Reformation doctrine.

Keywords

• medicina
• anatomía
• cirugía
• nueva españa
• siglos xvi y xvii