Garcia de Orta
Garcia sailed for Portuguese India leaving the Tagus in March 1534 aboard the fleet of Martim Afonso de Sousa. He reached Goa in September and settled there by 1538. He became a physician to Burhan Nizam Shah I of the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmadnagar. He also served several successive Portuguese Viceroys and governors of Goa. The King of Portugal granted him a lifelong lease on Ilha da Boa Vida which became part of Bombay between September 1554 and June 1555. He built a manor house with a large garden and probably maintained an excellent library there. This manor stood not far from where the Town Hall of Bombay was built.
His book Colóquios dos simples e drogas he cousas medicinais da Índia was published at Goa in 1563. It contained 59 chapters written as a dialogue between da Orta and a traditional doctor named Ruano. The first edition had 217 pages and only about six copies were thought to exist according to Valentine Ball in 1890. The printing press arrived in Goa in 1556 and his printer was João de Endem. The rare first edition was full of typographical errors and the errata ran to twenty pages. Da Orta described plants used for snakebite and mentioned Datura used by thieves to poison victims. He performed an autopsy on a cholera victim, the first recorded autopsy in India.
Garcia died in 1568 without suffering seriously from persecution but his sister Catarina was arrested as a Jew in the same year. She was burned at the stake for Judaism in Goa on the 25th of October 1569. His remains were exhumed and burned along with an effigy in an auto da fé on the 4th of December 1580. Inquisition records reveal that 57 persons were burnt in the flesh and 64 in effigy from 1560 to 1812. A confession by his brother-in-law after his death stated that Garcia privately continued to assert that the Law of Moses was the true law. The fate of his daughters is not known.
Carolus Clusius translated the work into Latin in early 1564 while changing it from a dialogue to an epitomized form. This version was widely read across Europe and underwent several editions through 1605/6. An Italian translation appeared in 1576 followed by other editions in 1582, 1589 and 1616. A Spanish version published in 1578 included Clusius's abridgement and Cristobal A'Costa's personal observation. The preface includes a verse by Luís de Camões who played on the word Orta referring to both his friend and meaning garden. Memorials recognizing his contributions have been built in both Portugal and India including a public garden in Lisbon and one in Panjim.
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Common questions
When and where was Garcia de Orta born?
Garcia de Orta was born in Castelo de Vide, probably in 1501. His parents were Spanish Jews from Valencia de Alcántara who had taken refuge in Portugal after the great expulsion of 1492.
What year did Garcia de Orta sail for Portuguese India?
Garcia de Orta sailed for Portuguese India leaving the Tagus in March 1534 aboard the fleet of Martim Afonso de Sousa. He reached Goa in September and settled there by 1538.
Which book did Garcia de Orta publish at Goa in 1563?
His book Colóquios dos simples e drogas he cousas medicinais da Índia was published at Goa in 1563. It contained 59 chapters written as a dialogue between da Orta and a traditional doctor named Ruano.
On what date was Garcia de Orta's sister Catarina burned at the stake?
Catarina was burned at the stake for Judaism in Goa on the 25th of October 1569. Her remains were exhumed and burned along with an effigy in an auto da fé on the 4th of December 1580.
Who translated the work of Garcia de Orta into Latin in early 1564?
Carolus Clusius translated the work into Latin in early 1564 while changing it from a dialogue to an epitomized form. This version was widely read across Europe and underwent several editions through 1605/6.