Os cirurgiões nas minas coloniais da América portuguesa setecentistas: rupturas e permanências dos saberes a partir da obra Erário mineral de 1735

Abstract

The Mineral Treasury, written in 1735, offers a comprehensive understanding of the colonial reality of Portuguese America. In the first centuries of Modernity, this reality was strongly influenced by the limits imposed by the Portuguese metropolitan administration, which sought to exercise strict control over the colony. However, in order to ensure the continuity and functioning of colonial society in accordance with the interests of the Crown, it was necessary, in some cases, to adopt exceptions and flexibilities in relation to the established hierarchy and social order. It is in this context that the figures of surgeons began to gain relevance between the 16th and 18th centuries, especially after the discovery of gold in the interior of the territory in the 17th century. This historical period reveals significant elements of the social imaginary and highlights continuities and ruptures in surgical knowledge and practices. In addition, it allows us to identify which factors contributed to the maintenance of certain traditional medical concepts and practices and which specificities drove the emergence of new practices, which marked a break with the Portuguese medical tradition.