Oliva Sabuco

Oliva Sabuco de Nantes Barrera (2 December 1562 in Alcaraz) was a Spanish writer in holistic medical philosophy in the late 16th – early 17th century. She was interested in the interaction between the physical and psychological phenomena; therefore, she wrote a collection of medical and psychological treatises that target human nature and explain the effects of emotions on the body and soul. She analyzed theoretical claims of ancient philosophers and wrote an early theory of what is now considered applied psychology.

Early life

Luisa Oliva Sabuco de Nantes Barrera was born in Alcaraz, Spain, in 1562 and was baptised in the Holy Trinity church on 2 December of that same year. Her mother was Francisca de Cozar and her father was Don Miguel Sabuco y Alvarez. She was well acquainted with classical and contemporary philosophy and was knowledgeable about medical theory. By 26 December 1585, at the age of 23, she married Don Acacio de Buedo.

Theories

Mind–body coexistence Sabuco combined ancient Greek and Christian philosophies, along with Aristotelian views in order to explain how the mind and body interact in a holistic manner. She believed human nature to be a single concept, where the rational soul and spiritual soul must co-occur for a human being to exist. Her theory differed in the sense that the human being could not exist until the divine soul/mind coexisted with the body/matter.

Harmony and a healthy state According to Sabuco, the soul was divided into three parts: the sensitive, the biological, and the intellectual soul, all of which would be in a harmonic balance with one another. The balance between the four humours, hot, cold, wet, and dry, must also be in harmony in order for the human organ system to be in a healthy state. Chilo maintained the proper temperature and humidity within the body; nonetheless, an imbalance could lead to negative states of health.

Moral philosophy Sabuco's theory of moral philosophy incorporated traditional views of virtue ethics. Good and evil were intertwined in the world and could banish each other. Her theory stated how something good could be present in evil and something evil could be present in good.

Cosmology

The second part of her work described astronomical and geological events and how they support the theory of human nature. It was important to learn how the macrocosm functions because humans were a microcosm within the broader world. An individual's life cycle would improve or decline just like a moon's cycle would be waxing or waning. Within the macrocosm, the moon was defined as the brain of the world, which provided moisture and growth to its waters. Microcosm, on the other hand, described the sun as the heart of the world, which gave warmth and life to the world. The powerless were the ones whose health was severely impacted the most by the misery and despair of everyday life. Excess and greed should be avoided because they were bad for the social and individual body. Therefore, the laws would not be applicable or fair to lower socioeconomic classes who did not partake in the creation of them. Laws must be clear, written in simple language and precise so proper justice could be granted to the poor. Authoritarian power was passed down through generations, and individuals' verdicts had varying interpretations from previous generations of authorities who lacked knowledge about the present case.

Sabuco criticized university policies and the objectives of the education system. She mentioned the lack of proper criteria for an individual regarding admissions and recommended that examiners evaluate potential candidates' abilities when granting admission. She also denounced the importance of charging students tuition because students were admitted who could afford tuition but lacked the proper aptitude to succeed. Emotions such as anger, sadness, love, excessive joy, hatred, shame and distrust caused imbalances in the bodily humours which squeezed the humour and humidity out of the brain where the soul was located. The only true appropriate medicine would comfort the brain and be in accordance with the body and the soul. Words and deeds that generated joy and hope and taking care of the stomach were the three pillars of health that could comfort the brain. Another general remedy mentioned was the diversion of humour through bodily openings so it would not reach internal organs. It consisted of seven separately titled treatises.

The first treatise within Sabuco's most famous book, New Philosophy of Human Nature, introduces a discussion between three peasants, whom she identified as shepherds and who critique the views of others. Sabuco believed her theory should be relevant to simple folks and applicable to their lives. It is in the brain, like in the root of a tree, that all diseases begin and it is possible to cure them through various methods amongst which are words of cheerfulness, sound thought, and even to the hearing of music. She explored how emotions have an effect on the human body and how one can control their effects by focusing on the chief organ of the body, the brain. According to Father Feyjoo, much of the research she did contributed to the ability of physicians following her to develop some of the first theories around nervous diseases. Once the nutrients were taken to the brain and nervous fluid was created, it was allocated throughout the body by a fluid aside from red blood. It is known that she was famous in her day because in 1604, while she was still alive, Franciscio Lopez de Uveda, a physician and poet from Toledo, expressed that a character he was working on would out fame people like Oliva Sabuco and Don Quixote, thus implying her name to be one associated with fame. His letter and a promissory note written by Sabuco's husband and brother were implemented a year following the publication of the book. However, recent scholarship has defended her case, claiming that she was the writer. Because of the nature of her material, she incurred the attention of the inquisitors and had all her books burned. She lived out her days in the convent of Dominican nuns in Alcaraz and took on a monastic habit.