Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador

A regional history of the Amerindians' biological experience under colonial rule.

Suzanne Austin Alchon (Author)

9780521529457, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 18 July 2002

168 pages, 2 maps
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.8 cm, 0.278 kg

"This slender book is packed with information on the history of disease in colonal Ecuador....Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador is a clearly written and thoughtful study of health and disease in a critical period of Latin American history....Alchon does an admirable job of sifting through the material and explaining her interpretatons of the data....This book should find an audience among scholars who are concerned with the Spanish colonial period or who wish to understand how the events of that time have influenced today's Andean reality. As a study of epidemiological and cultural history, it should also be of interest to readers with backgrounds in medicine and allied fields of study. In addition, the book merits consideration for use as a case study in Latin America and medical anthropology courses." William T. Vickers, Medical Anthropology Quarterly

This book examines the relationship between the indigenous peoples of northern Ecuador and disease, especially those infections introduced by Europeans during the sixteenth century. It addresses an important and often overlooked element in the history of Amerindian populations: their biological adaptability and resilience. But it is more than a history of disease incidents, medical responses, and population trends. The history of the biological experience under colonial rule. It differs from other studies in the field by its emphasis on the relationship between biological and social responses.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Along the avenue of volcanoes
2. Disease, illness, and healing before 1534
3. Conquest and epidemic disease
4. Changing patterns of disease and demography
5. Disaster and crisis in the 1690s
6. Disease and demographic stagnation
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], History of the Americas [HBJK]