Health Profiles: Aztec Warrior v Spanish Conquistador

1 AZTEC WARRIOR.
An Aztec male was eligible for military service at age 15. In Aztec society, success on the battlefield was a principal vehicle for social advancement, and most young men were eager to become warriors. The battlefield was a hazardous place, however, and the standard weapons of war - arrows, darts, slings, and clubs with razor-sharp obsidian edges - could inflict terrible wounds. To treat its wounded the Aztec army maintained specialists who set fractured bones, realigned dislocated joints, and cleansed and sutured lacerations [stitched up open wounds].
Common health complaints included intestinal disorders, headaches, coughs and fevers. It was widely believed that disease was sent by the gods or was the result of sorcery, hence the advice of a professional healer was often sought - both to cure a disease and to divine its source. There were many healers in Aztec society who specialized in particular ailments, and treatment frequently combined ritual activities and herbal remedies. Some 1,200 plants were used by the Aztecs for medicinal purposes. Most of these plants and plant preparations could be purchased in the marketplace from a vendor who specialized in herbs, medicines and curing paraphernalia.

Aztec warriors, in a chess set

2 SPANISH CONQUISTADOR.
The Spanish conquistadores who made their way to the New World were survivors of a long and harsh process of selection. Infant mortality was high in 15th and 16th century Europe. One out of every three children died in the first year, and less than half survived to age 15. Poor nutrition and infectious disease were major contributors to this high mortality. Vitamin deficiencies were common, and scurvy was a familiar companion of sea voyagers. Recurrent outbreaks of bubonic plague, smallpox, measles, typhus, and other infectious diseases periodically winnowed [cut down] the population of Europe, as did drought and famine. In terms of personal hygiene, the Spanish conquistador had much to learn from his Aztec adversary. Bathing was a seldom-practiced ritual in 16th century Europe, and cities of this period were not renowned for their sanitary conditions.
While Europeans had a vague notion of the contagious nature of some diseases, illness more commonly was attributed to astrological phenomena, curses, personal and moral dissoluteness [immorality], and, above all, divine retribution upon sinful man. Medical treatments, which might include bleeding of the patient and treatment with herbal remedies, were aimed at restoring the balance of bodily ‘humours’ - blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile.

Spanish conquistadores, in a chess set