Time Heals All Wounds: The Evolution of Medicine as Depicted in the Spanish TV series Ministerio del Tiempo

Indianapolis, IN

Medicine is in constant evolution. Throughout time, treatments have been proposed and implemented only to be disproved and ridiculed years later. The expansion of scientific knowledge brings understanding of both causality and treatment of disease. In the popular Spanish mini-series, El Ministerio del Tiempo, a three-membered team goes on time-traveling journeys that demonstrate, through their encounters, this advancement of medical knowledge. By passing from century to century throughout Spain’s history, viewers discover the realities of life in different time periods, including the realities of illness and death. Health-related topics are central in several of the episodes, including beriberi in the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish Flu of 1918, and the medieval four-humors approach to health that was still present in the early 1700s. The rudimentary knowledge of the medical field in these time periods is highlighted by the advanced knowledge of Julián Martínez, a nurse from 2016 who travels with the team offering advice and techniques well beyond the expertise of those he meets in the past. These episodes demonstrate how El Ministerio del Tiempo entertains its viewers while it simultaneously educates them. This presentation emphasizes the impact of the advancement of medical knowledge displayed within the historical events throughout the miniseries.