Native Society and Disease in Colonial Ecuador

"This book is an achievement for several reasons. First, it offers a panoramic view of about three centuries of demographic developments in colonial Ecuador. Second, it frames the discussion of Ecuador with what is known about Mesoamerica and the Andes. Third, it studies epidemics in their interaction with economic, religious, and political events. And fourth, it is a remarkable effort to intertwine the history of populations with the history of medicine in a Latin American country....The book includes superb descriptions of colonial hospitals and public health measures, and native concepts of health and illness....this well-documented and well-organized book is certainly instrumental in raising the standards of Latin American medical history." Marcos Cueto, Bulletin of the History of Medicine

• 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.