Manejo médico de apostemas mamarios durante el siglo xviii en el Nuevo Reino de Granada

Abstract

IntroductionThe University of La Sabana preserves a collection of medical prescriptions used in the eighteenth century in New Granada; one of these contains phytotherapeutic agents to alleviate the symptoms caused by mammary gland infections. ObjectiveTo present a formula used to treat breast abscesses and to determine whether the components are effective in resolving this entity. Materials and methodsWe conducted a search in the Historical Archive of the Octavio Arizmendi Posada Library of the University of La Sabana, where we found the formula “abscess in women's breasts”. We also collected data and performed a literature search on this method in the PubMed, Google Scholar and SciELO databases. ResultsThe use of plants such as Luffa cylindrica and Lonicera japonica could prevent the development of breast abscesses due to their galactagogue, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage leaf also plays an important role in relieving pain in persons with abscesses, due to its analgesic properties. ConclusionThrough the review of eighteenth century texts, we found a colonial medical prescription and reviewed the phytotherapeutic effects of its components, highlighting its galactagogue benefits. This allows a comparison between current medical evidence and some of the natural methods used for breast abscesses in New Granada during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.