Diego Álvarez Chanca (c. 1463 - c. 1515) was a Spanish physician who accompanied

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

on his second voyage. Chanca was a physician-in-ordinary to Ferdinand and Isabella, which is how he was introduced to Columbus. He was appointed by the

Crown of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

to accompany Columbus' second expedition to America in 1493. Shortly after landing on Hispaniola, Columbus suffered from an attack of malarial fever, which Chanca successfully treated. Several other members of the crew were also treated for malaria during this period. Chanca's opinion was also sought when Columbus was selecting a site for his first settlement,

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

. While there, Chanca wrote a letter to the municipal council of his native city of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, which was the first document describing the flora, the fauna, the ethnology, and the ethnography of America. After his return to Spain in February 1494, he published in 1506 a medical treatise entitled ''Para curar el mal de Costado'' (The Treatment of

Pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity ( pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

), and in 1514, he published a work in Latin criticizing a book entitled ''De conservanda juventute et retardanda senectute'', the work of Arnaldo de Villanova, a brother-physician. He is also credited with introducing red pepper (capsaicin) and allspice to Spanish cuisine.History of Spices, The McCormick Science Institute
accessed March 28, 2022

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Bibliography

* * * 15th-century births 16th-century deaths 15th-century explorers Medieval Spanish physicians 16th-century Spanish physicians Explorers of Central America 15th-century Spanish writers Court physicians Spanish explorers of North America {{Spain-med-bio-stub