Diego Álvarez Chanca

thumb|Diego Alvarez Chanca, Commentum novum (1514) title page

'''Diego Álvarez Chanca''' (c. 1463 – c. 1515) was a Spanish physician who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage.{{sfn |Ruiz |1992}}

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 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. While there, Chanca wrote a letter to the municipal council of his native city of Seville,{{sfn |Fuentes |1908}} which was the first document describing the flora, the fauna, the ethnology, and the ethnography of America.{{sfn |Ruiz |1992}}{{sfn|Olson|1906}}

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), 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.{{sfn |Ruiz |1992}}

He is also credited with introducing red pepper (capsaicin) and allspice to Spanish cuisine.<ref>[https://www.mccormickscienceinstitute.com/resources/history-of-spices History of Spices, The McCormick Science Institute], accessed March 28, 2022</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Bibliography== * {{cite encyclopedia |title=Diego Alvarez Chanca |encyclopedia=The Catholic Encyclopedia |date= |year=1908 |last=Fuentes |first=Ventura |publisher=Robert Appleton Company |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03572a.htm }} * {{Cite book |title=The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1906 |editor-last=Olson |editor-first=Julius E. |chapter=Letter of Dr. Chanca on the Second Voyage of Columbus |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/northmencolumbu01conggoog/page/n306/mode/2up}} * {{cite encyclopedia |title=Chanca, Diego Alvarez |encyclopedia=The Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia |year=1992 |last=Ruiz |first=Teofilo F. |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location= |id= |url=https://archive.org/details/christophercolum0001unse/page/115/mode/1up }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chanca, Diego Alvarez}} Category:1460s births Category:1510s deaths

Category:Year of birth uncertain Category:Year of death uncertain Category:15th-century Spanish explorers Category:15th-century Spanish medical doctors Category:16th-century Spanish medical doctors Category:Explorers of Central America Category:16th-century Spanish writers Category:Court physicians Category:Spanish explorers of North America