Enlightenment Science of Mineral Springs
Casey Walsh
Chapter from the book: Walsh, C. 2018. Virtuous Waters: Mineral Springs, Bathing, and Infrastructure in Mexico.
Part of
Chapter from the book: Walsh, C. 2018. Virtuous Waters: Mineral Springs, Bathing, and Infrastructure in Mexico.
The late eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of science, and mineral waters were a principal object of study for chemists, pharmacists, and doctors. Mineral-springs medicine flourished during a time marked by intellectual and cultural opening and the dismantling of the Spanish colonial government. Studies of various Mexican hot springs were carried out under royal orders in Michoacán, Tehuacán, and the Valley of Mexico, and the church conducted other studies. Despite the upwelling of scientific ideas about the efficacy of waters and the growing elite control over bathing infrastructure, the poor conserved their practices of bathing and access to these waters.
Walsh, C. 2018. Enlightenment Science of Mineral Springs. In: Walsh, C, Virtuous Waters. California: University of California Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.48.d
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Published on March 9, 2018