Medicine and Health in the House of Osuna

The House of Osuna, one of the prominent noble families in Spain, not only stood out for its political and social influence over the centuries but also played a significant role in the field of medicine and health during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. This house, which originated in the town of Osuna in the province of Seville, became a center of culture and thought, where the interest in medicine and health intertwined with the development of science and medical practice of the time.

Since the Middle Ages, medicine in Spain had been influenced by various currents, from the Arab heritage to Greco-Roman traditions, and the House of Osuna was no exception to this context. The nobility, in particular, had access to what was known as the "court physician," a professional responsible for attending to the health of family members and their surroundings. This physician, who could be a licensed doctor or an experienced practitioner, played not only a curative role but also a preventive one, at a time when diseases were often seen as divine punishments or imbalances of the body's fluids.

The rise of the House of Osuna, which reached its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries, coincided with a period when medicine was beginning to professionalize. In this context, several family members showed a remarkable interest in public health and medicine. One of the most notable figures was Don Pedro Téllez-Girón y Fernández de Córdoba, who, as Duke of Osuna, became a fervent promoter of education and the sciences in his duchy. Under his patronage, the interest in medicine was solidified and translated into concrete actions, such as promoting the establishment of institutions and improving health conditions in the towns under his jurisdiction.

The House of Osuna was also influenced by the humanist currents that pr…