Joyful NewsIn 1577, shortly after the introduction of tobacco from the New World, a Spanish doctor named Nicolas Monardes published a book entitled Joyful News out of the New Found World detailing its supposed medicinal properties for the first time.
Among the conditions for which tobacco was a recommended treatment? Headaches, arthritis, various wounds, and stomach cramps. Moreover, it is perhaps a testament to the sorry state of 16th century oral hygiene that tobacco was aslo recommended as a cure for toothaches - and bad breath!
[Monardes's prescriptions were followed for more than 200 years.]
Monardes, Nicolas (1493?-1588) Spanish doctor
[Sources: Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts]More Nicolas Monardes anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Medicine 16th Century Tobacco Charlatans Bad Breath Bad Advice Teeth Gross Hygiene
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