Cristóvão da Costa (c 1525-94) Portuguese Physician & Botanist

Cristóvão da Costa or Cristóbal Acosta & Latinized as Christophorus Acosta Africanus (c 1525-94) was a Portuguese doctor, botanist & natural historian. He is considered a pioneer in the study of plants from the Orient, especially their use in pharmacology. He published a book on the medicinal plants of the orient titled Tractado de las drogas y medicinas de la Indias Orientales in 1578.  

Cristóvão da Costa is believed to have been born somewhere in Africa, possibly in Tangier, Ceuta, both Portuguese cities at the time, or in Portuguese Cape Verde, since in his work he claims to be African (Christophorus Acosta Africanus). Reportedly, he was born into a family which converted from the Jewish religion to Catholicism.  He went to the East Indies before 1550 as a soldier, visiting Persia, India, Malaya, & perhaps China.  At at one point, he was taken prisoner & held captive in Bengal.

After returning to Portugal, he joined his former captain, Luís de Ataíde, who had been appointed viceroy of Portuguese India. He returned to Goa in 1568. He served as personal physician to the viceroy; & in 1569, he was appointed physician to the royal hospital in Cochin, treating the king of Cochin.  By 1571, he was collecting botanical specimens in various parts of India. 

When Ataide ended his term in 1572, Acosta returned to Lisbon with him. He practiced medicine in Burgos, 1576-87. He was the contracted surgeon & then the contracted physician to the city, both positions were well-salaried. After the death of his wife (c 1587), he retired to a hermitage.

Title page from Spanish edition of Tractado de las drogas y medicinas de las Indias Orientales,  At Burgos in 1578, he published (in Spanish) his work Tractado de las drogas y medicinas de las Indias orientales ("Treatise of the drugs & medicines of the East Indies"). In publication, he says he was brought to India by his desire to find "in several regions & provinces learned & curious men from whom I could daily learn something new; & to see the diversity of plants God has created for human health."

Pineapple from Tractado de las drogas, y medicinas de las Indias Orientales, Burgos 1578

Acosta was one of the pioneers in studying the plants, especially in their pharmaceutical uses, of the orient. His Tractado de las drogas y medicinas de las Indias orientales contains systematic, first-hand observations on oriental drugs. His work on drugs widely translated. 

See:

Harry Friedenwald, The Jews and Medicine, 2 vols. (Baltimore, 1944), Essay XXXI.  

Jacob Seidi, "The Relationship of Garcia de Orta's and Cristobal Acosta's Botanical Works," Actes du VIIe Congress International d'Histoire des Sciences, (Paris, 1955).