Physical Medicine
The Nahua civilaztion were experts on the plants and herbs in the surrounding area. Although their were religious and spiritual components to their healing there also was a deductive and methodical approach to treatment. Specific plants and herbs were recognized for their abillities in healing and regimented treatments were passed down some ending up catalogged in the Flourentine Codex for us to anylyze. Some of their vast understanding of thousands of plants and herbs and healing teqniques was lost and not all archived. Majority names for plants only exist once in the florentine codex and lack context as to what they were and where they came from. However, with the information we have from the Codex we are going to start to anylyze their medicinal practices in the images depicted, the way they conducted treatment and the physical sicknesses they found cures for.
Healers were a were a respected part of the Nahua community and their vast knowledge of sicknesses and medicinal treatments allowed them to diagnose and cure a miriad of afflictions. This image above depicts the treatment prosess with an herbal remedy of Coaxoxouhqui powder and water. Which the healer would have the patient drink the mixture and it would allow them to identify where the pain was located. This image stands out compared to many of the other pictorial depictions of healing simoply because the face of the patient is not seen. This could be a visual cue into the mystery of the sickness. By concealing the face of the individual, it shows that there is information unknown about the affliction as the healer tries to identify.
Healers were a were a respected part of the Nahua community and their vast knowledge of sicknesses and medicinal treatments allowed them to diagnose and cure a miriad of afflictions. This image to the right depicts the treatment prosess with an herbal remedy of Coaxoxouhqui powder and water. Which the healer would have the patient drink the mixture and it would allow them to identify where the pain was located. This image stands out compared to many of the other pictorial depictions of healing simoply because the face of the patient is not seen. This could be a visual cue into the mystery of the sickness. By concealing the face of the individual it shows that there is information unknown about the affliction as the healer trys to identify.
This herb was a common treatment for anxiety of the heart, arms that become parylyzed, with a sluggish disposition, whose mouth becomes twisted, and whose legs wobble. From what we can understand from the Nahuatl translation it could be speculated that this herb was a treatment for a heart attack or something simmilar. For use, it was recommended to cook the leaves and blossoms, and drink and bath in it. It was also a cure for stomach inflamation, pain in the chest, fever and chills.
The herb itself pictured to the right is another example of an image identifying the characteristics of the plant. What is most interesting about these pictorals is that they go under the surface to depict the root of the plant because the root was an important identifier.
The Nahau people had a complex catalog of plants and herbs with information about where to forage for them, how to use them, what they could treat, and what to avoid.
The healer in wearing an identifiable white robe while tending to the wound. Based on the cure for this rash it is likely that the healer is dressing the rash with powedered Tlaquequetzal from the bowl they’re holding. There were two types of rashes that they classified. Tlacazolnanahuatl or filthy pustules and the second being less severe called tecpilnanahuatl or small pustules. Both of these were described as painful and debilitating.
Cures included were to drink an herb called tetlemaitl and then to cover the rash with powdered tlaquequetzal. After it is recommended to drink an infusion of cuauhtlepatli four to five times a day and take lots of baths.
This image depicts a healer curing a patient sufferening from jigger fleas which would bread on peoples back. Since bathing did not work it was recommended to put powdered Toa leaves on and into the wound. If the swelling went down powdered Iztacpatli was placed to heal the wound followed by green tobacco and hot lime in drop form covered in a Maguey leaf to seal off the wound. The steps to cure are very paticular and clearly went through a process of trial and error to get to the treatment that was probably passed down generations to be written and then catalogged in the Flourentine codex. This is one of many examples of how thoughtful and regimented Nauha treatments were. Not only did they have specific herbs that they understood would help cure certain sicknesses they had step by step guides on treatment just like you would find online today.
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