Conexões entre dois mundos: prática médica, artes de curar e os saberes locais angolanos nos textos europeus ao longo do século XVIII

Abstract

The connections between Africa and Brazil are a recurring theme in historiography, especially that related to social, economic, logistical and political issues involving the slave trade between the two continents. One of the most interesting aspects for researchers in the history of science is, in this sense, the question of the health of enslaved peoples. In this respect, the history of medicine and medical and pharmaceutical knowledge portray a scenario in which the contributions of knowledge of African origin have been verified. In this article, I intend to recognise the medical practices applied in Angolan territory through a series of medical treaties written by Europeans who practised medicine in Angola, more precisely in Luanda, in order to answer the following questions: What is the weight of the local population's knowledge in the formation of Angolan medical treaties? Was there a circulation of medical knowledge between Angola and Brazil?