Chico-Ponce LF, Muñoz-Delgado J

Language: English
References: 0
Page: 29-32
PDF size: 128.92 Kb.

ABSTRACT

It is a well known fact that the poem “El Sueño” (The Sleep/the Dream), written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, may be considered a scientific medical work according to criteria prevailing at the time in which it was written, in 1685, and first published, in 1692. This has been stated by Alfonso Méndez Plancarte in 1951, Emilio Carilla in 1972, Octavio Paz in 1982, Elías Trabulse in 1984 and by Héctor Pérez-Rincón in 1989.
Basically, four scientific criteria can be distinguished:
1. The poem gives us a fine clinic description of sleep, by which we are able to distinguish its various stages, that actually are known to have a proper electroencephalographic expression. A very careful comparison between the poem and current physiology of sleep was made in order to ascertain the aforementioned views. Up till now, we can consider this poem as the first clinical description of sleep stages carried out in the Western hemisphere.
2. It has been found that the onirical part of the poem describes the adventure of human intellect, which contemplates itself in an effort to acquire knowledge, in spite of the strong tomist influences found in the poem. This part is particularly interesting as recent publications tell us that memory consolidation processes which promote an adequate structure of knowledge precisely occur during this sleeping stage. The onirical content of the poem had been interpreted before in many other ways.
3. Chronobiological aspects are clearly represented and the mere clinical description of physiological sleep gives us a pleasant idea of chronobiology. We can also find in this poem specific segments that talk about work-rest alternation, and other rhythmic aspects of human body.
4. All those who have catalogued this poem as scientific highlight the continuous references concerning Galenic human physiology, which in those times and in most parts of the world were highly acknowledged. Particularly interesting for us is the poem’s description of brain physiology, where soul faculties are named and described.
Our purpose is to show this particular facet of a woman considered to have the most privileged and advanced intelligence in Seventeenth Century Mexico.