La Controversia del Agua en la Sevilla de la Regia Sociedad (1735-1740): Los médicos Ortiz Barroso y Vázquez De Cortés y los padres maestros Feijoo y Nájera

Abstract

The «universal» water treatment, advocated and defended by Seville’s appointed official doctor, Juan Vázquez de Cortés, was strongly contested and refuted by the Galenist José Ortiz Barroso, an important member of the Royal Medical Society of Seville, generating a controversy that culminated in a series of publications that appeared in Seville from 1735 to 1740. The controversy went beyond the local level and was echoed by the philosopher monks Benito Feijoo and Juan de Nájera, who also actively took sides. In this contribution, rather than critically review the related texts, we analyze the criticisms, opinions and approvals of the anonymous or figuratively signed papers, comparing them to Father Feijoo’s literary work and personal approach.