By Ben Gunter, Theater with a Mission (TWAM)
From 1564-1565 – 455 years ago – Jacques LeMoyne lived in Florida, recording life in a French Huguenot settlement near present-day Jacksonville.
LeMoyne’s drawings include a picture called “Mode of Treating the Sick,” which preserves a fascinating snapshot of Timucua natives protecting public health in 16th-century Florida.
You should know that this picture and its caption contain graphic information and images that may not be appropriate for everyone.
You should also know that historians have raised questions about the ethnographic accuracy of this picture and presented evidence that the publisher altered LeMoyne’s memoirs to appeal to European readers in 1591.
Considering those caveats, we hope you will find perspective and inspiration in this moving picture and informative caption, showing Floridians from the 1500s working together to care for the sick and protect public health. ¡Salud!
