The lives of alchemystical philosophers; with a critical catalogue of books in occult chemistry, and a selection of the most celebrated treatises. On the theory and practice of the hermetic art / [Anon].

Francis Barrett

Date:: 1815

Credit: The lives of alchemystical philosophers; with a critical catalogue of books in occult chemistry, and a selection of the most celebrated treatises. On the theory and practice of the hermetic art / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$» Paracelsus. 5] proved in medicine, surgery, and chemistry 5! $! ‘and, ‘at’ twenty “years of: age, he travelled: in’ Germany’ and | “Hhiugary, visiting the mines with the most ‘persevering industry and application, until he acquired every’ information he wanted ‘from the miners, encountering, ‘for’ this purpose, various ° ‘dangers, ‘from: eatth- quakes, : falls of ote peas fexhalations, damps, | heat, — and thirst. He now: iastehded his eiveld) rn Muscovy, nad? was taken prisoner’ by the ‘Tartars, who brought him. before ‘the’ Great Cham. ' At this court he became a favourite,” from his’ know- ledge in medicine and chemistry. He was sent from thence, in company with: ‘an ‘embassy, ‘to..Constantinople, in the ‘twenty- eighth year of his age. ’ It ‘was ‘here, as J. B. Helmont relates, that, he’ was‘ taught, ‘the’ secret of alchemistry, by a‘ generous Arabian, who gave him the -wnzversal dissolvent, which he’ calla azot, death, or that’ which: putrifies, “or alcahest, the spirit, which is the \sophic fire; { the key to alchemistry, a science named from ‘the Arabic: she: and: ‘Hebrew cham, heat, meaning the peti of heat. At his return fom T ditkey to Gatnhtiy, he reid?” as surgeon in’the Imperial army, and’ performed many wonderful cures. He also professed internal-medicine,’ which, in a short time, he reformed from’ the system of Galen}’ by the ‘successful — use of chemical medicines.» He was’ invited to take’ the profes- sor’s ‘chair for medicineand: philosophy, ‘in the’ university ‘of Basil, celebrated at. that’time, 1527,‘ by having” rasmus pe fessor in theology, and Oporinus in Greek classics. 9) *)” At his first lecture, Paracelsus burned’the works of Galen in’ a brass pan, with sulphur and nitre. “Phe majority of physicians _ were,” of course,’ enemies to his‘ innovations, before the value of mineral’ medicines was proved; and he retorted their persecution with vehemence. * He invited the faculty to'a lecture, in which he: promised to teach the greatest secret of medicine : he: com- menced, by uncovering a dish, which was placed before him;' it comitalerede excrement ; the doctors indignant at this insult, hasted out of the room; while Paracelsus’ cried‘ out, ‘If you. will not hear the mysteries of putrefactive ig it tha are’ unworthy of the name of doctors.’ -Oporinus says,’ he never seemed sober’ while tia ive: him, during three years, until he resigned his chair, declaring the Latin language unfit for the purposes of philosophy. A singu~ lar adventure obliged him to quit’ Basil altogether: A canon Yof the cathedral was in extreme sickness; all the physicians forsook him, as incurable. Paracelsus saw hin, and promised to restore . him to health: the canon gratefully expressed himself} as one who would feel the’ ‘obligation, and make large 'recompence ;— two pills performed the cure; but it was no sooner effected, than the canon undervalued ‘it,’ ‘and*contended against the eee of the doctor. —Hehad) heen® cured too soon+-Paracelsus com-$