The historian, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor Honoris Causa 19 times, Miguel Leon-Portilla, considered that the rescue of the Codex De la Cruz-Badiane, who until 1990 was in the Vatican, “is valuable, among other things, it contains remedies for sick today. ”
After taking part in the digital presentation of the Mexican document, the author of “The vision of the vanquished,” the paper said: “It is a manuscript prepared patiently and with a broad knowledge on herbal, by Martin de la Cruz, a Indian doctor Santiago Tlatelolco. ”
Herbal Legacy
The expert noted that the indigenous cultures that wisdom was equal to that in those years the conquistadors came to America, and fortunately came at the hands of the king of Spain, who knew how to cultivate and disseminate such knowledge.
The professor also pointed out that the codex contains a comprehensive cookbook physician herbal methods, profusely illustrated with over 100 images. “This content is the cure for a disease that I suffered, the angina pectoris,” also said the author of “Philosophy nahuatl” as replacement.
“Martin de la Cruz identified, diagnosed and found a cure for this terrible disease, as well as for gout and tired,” he added pointing to the same studied many ills afflicting the society of his time, many existing between communities in the modern world, he added.
Therefore, this document said that since Mexico’s indigenous “is an immense source of knowledge of the past used to the pharmacology of this time, spring is right to take Mexico to provide cures ills afflicting the world.”
However, Leon-Portilla regretted that the digital version of the “Codex De la Cruz-Badiane” is not the complete document. “This edition is great, but I would have liked to include the full CD,” he said.
The codex
Earlier, in the auditorium “Jaime Torres Bodet” National Museum of Anthropology, where Miguel Leon-Portilla was invited, it was reported that the Codex De la Cruz-Badiane, considered the first medical book in the New World established in the sixteenth century was digitized and published on compact disc.
Following this technological process, the document was kept in a vault and under strict security measures in the reserved fund of the National Library of Anthropology and History, because it is a treasure to arouse more interest in studying indigenous medicine.
Dr. Leon-Portilla considered the manuscript as one of five historical sources for understanding the uses and customs of the ancient indigenous peoples around medical treatments. The historian was part of the team that requested the Holy See to the delivery of the codex.