Moral justification of anatomical dissection and conquest in the Spanish Chronicles of the Indies
Highlights
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- Three dissections described in the Spanish Chronicles of the Indies of the 16th century.
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- Events are narrated in ways that legitimize Spanish conquest of the Americas.
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- Ethical controversies about dissection in Europe acquire new meanings in New World.
Three
cases of dissections of dead bodies are included in the Spanish
Chronicles of the Indies. By reporting on these advanced
medico-scientific practices, the chroniclers appear to be confirming the
superiority of the conquistadors over the natives and justifying the
conquest. However, they problematize this supposed superiority by
framing the events in complex scenarios that resound of some of the
controversies surrounding dissection in the period. This contradictory
treatment of dissection can be interpreted as a manifestation of the
conquistadors’ anxiety around being physically identical to the natives
except for a fragile, skin-deep veneer of civilized behaviour.
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