ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the development of contemporary biomedicine in Mexico, recruitment into the profession, and with physicians' social position in Mexican society that also reverberates on biomedicine's impact on people in Mexico. There is an extraordinary rich literature on the great civilizations of Preconquest Mexico and on its medical beliefs and practices. The most distinguishing aspect of Preconquest medicine is its extensive pharmacopoeia, displayed in the markets of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital and present–day Mexico City that astounded the conquistadores. Over 3,000 plants may have been used for medicinal purposes by the Indians of Mexico, as well as minerals and animal products. The Colonial period follows the Conquest brought about great discontinuities in Mexican society and culture, including medical practices. The period follows independence laid the foundation for contemporary biomedical practice. The one psychiatrist and some physicians in the hospital, the popular view is that psychiatry is only for the "crazies", and patients eschew referrals to psychiatry.
