For the inquiring minds Santosh: I know the names of four physicians who were convicted by this Holy Office, two of whom were each burned at an auto da fe. In another case, the mortal remains were exhumed and burned many years after their interment. In the fourth case, the convicted individual was imprisoned and then consigned to hard labor on a galley.
Gilbert responds: First, thank God these physicians are Europeans. One prior respondent wrote that 'no whites were affected by Goa's Inquisition'. Now Santosh, what are you trying to say? Just because they are physicians they are innocent? In OVER 250 YEARS (1560-1812) of 'the Inquisition form of Justice' that existed in Portuguese-Goa, only four physicians are disciplined - perhaps harshly. In the USA today, EVERY YEAR more than a thousand physicians loose their medical license as part of the disciplinary actions taken by the medical board. This is because of improper and unethical medical practice and professional misconduct. More than ten times that number get sued (for mega- mega-bucks) because of medical malpractice. Through their career, 40% of US physicians will be hauled to courts for professional malpractice. Yes, 60% of them will be acquitted. What are scholars going to say 200 years from now? So on statistical probabilities, four physicians in Portuguese-Goa over a 252 year period convicted of being awful is not a bad record either for the doctors or for the justice system of that time. Reviewing their own stories, we know one physician who is presented as the 'Joan of Arc' of Goa's inquisition. His name is Gabriel Dellon. BY HIS OWN ACCOUNT, he was likely having an amorous affair with his female patient in Daman. She also happened to be the mistress of the local Portuguese commandant. Just very poor professional and political decisions on the part of a doctor. His account goes on to detail the inquisition process without self-appraisal on his own poor behavior and judgment. He appears to have no expression of regret and repentance either at the time of the inquisition or there after. Surprisingly the same goes to critiques of the inquisition that quote Dr. Dellon. Another physician Dr. Garcia de Orta presented himself as an authority on India's herbal medicine having written books on the subject. He again BY HIS OWN REPORT wanted to challenge the established principles and practice of medicine of the time as laid down by Galen, Discorides the (then accepted) 'fathers' of medicine. Perhaps Dr. De Orta may be 'the Galileo of Goa' though Ayurvedic and homeopathic medicine are not science even today. I see a lot of Indian doctors in USA tell me how to treat cancer (as taught/done in India or as they judge). My response to them: I think you may be right. But that is not 'the standard of care' today. Who knows, they may be right in 100 years? But a lot of them today are/ will be sued for negligence and incompetence. Actually the Portuguese governor in Goa considered Dr. De Orta extremely favorably. He was even granted ownership of the island of Bombay prior to the English. This suggests no widespread discrimination against this and other Jews as some have alleged on this thread. But another of Dr. De Orta's actions was to visit capitals of the neighboring Nizam rulers to 'get a breath of fresh air' and participate in some 'new thinking about the herbal medicines'. Not the wisest thing to do in the strategic-geo-political climate of the era (reasons of which were discussed earlier). Jewish web-pages have reviewed Dr. De Orta's life and work and one termed it a "double life". I do not know the names of the other two doctors. I will be glad to review their bibliography and their reports. Regards. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
