En orden a sus virtudes y facultades medicinales: um estudo sobre o Paraguay Natural Ilustrado de José Sánchez Labrador S. J. (original) (raw)

In this article, we present and analyze the manuscript Paraguay Natural Ilustrado, written by the Jesuit Father José Sánchez Labrador, between the years 1771-1776, while he was exiled in Ravena, Italy. This work, that is located at the Archivo Romanum Societatis Iesu (ARSI), is divided in four tomes – Ground, Water and Air; Botany; Mammals, Birds and Fishes; Amphibians, Reptiles and Insects – in which, besides of the perceptions about American nature, we found information related with the knowledge and healing practices adopted by the indigenous populations from the vast region of the Jesuit Province of Paraguay. Beyond of the therapeutic virtues of waters, grounds, plants, bezoar stones and insects described in this work, our interest is, too, demonstrate that in the Paraguay Natural Ilustrado the missionary Sánchez Labrador has reunited information derived from both his own observations and the ones that he obtained with the indigenous; as information found in works produced by other Jesuits or lay scientists, with who he established an interesting dialog. The production and circulation evidences of the knowledge and practices, in special, related with Medicine and Pharmacy, and, too, with the appropriation of the knowledge of intelligent and wise indigenous will be, therefore, approached too.