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[The protomedicate in Spain]
1Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago.
Revista Medica De Chile
|January 1, 1991
Summary
The Protomedicate, a Spanish medical board, ensured high standards by examining practitioners. This institution was unique in its approach to medical education and practice in Spanish-speaking regions.
Area of Science:
- Medical History
- History of Education
Context:
- The Protomedicate was established in the Iberian Peninsula and its American colonies.
- It was conceived by Alphonse X, the Wise one, in the 13th century and implemented by the mid-16th century.
Purpose:
- To preserve high academic proficiency and moral standards in the medical profession.
- To regulate medical practice through rigorous examination and supervision.
Summary:
- Candidates for medical practice had to demonstrate knowledge and manual skills before the Protomedical board and royal examiners.
- Surgery candidates required four years of supervised practice.
- This institution was the primary mode of medical education in Spain, unlike other European countries.
Impact:
- The Protomedicate served as a unique and peculiar institution in Spanish-speaking lands.
- It contrasted with the scientific academies, Royal Colleges, and universities common in England, France, and Italy for medical teaching.