Paracelsus
History of Medicine ... 7
Alchemy was an important discipline in the Middle Ages and it extended itself into Renaissance. Most alchemists were highly educated persons and possessed knowledge in many areas.
Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim was an alchemist who was also a physician, philosopher, botanist, astrologer and a specialist in occult sciences.He called himself “Paracelsus,” for he considered himself “equal or superior to Celsus,” referring to Roman encyclopedist Cornelius Celsus, who wrote six treatises about medicine in the 1st century. Incidentally, these were the first medical books to be printed in movable type after Gutenberg invented them.
Paracelsus was born near Zürich in 1493 and died in the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1541.
He started to study Medicine in Basel, moved to Vienna and finished his studies in Ferrara. He journeyed extensively through Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Russia, all the time quarreling with other physicians, accusing them of totally accepting the classics and refusing to admit new knowledge.
Since he made remarkable cures, he attracted much attention and attracted many young physicians who wanted him as a teacher. He taught in the local languages, breaking with the tradition of the time, that was to use Latin in all medical lectures. My friend Claus Claussen, an eminent neurotologist, likes to quote one of Paracelsus’ sayings: “He who cures is right.”
He was the first physician to use experimentation in order to learn more about the mechanisms of the human body. He was the father of toxicology, and felt that “all things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.”
Paracelsus pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine. He is credited for naming the metal zinc, inspired by the sharp pointed appearance of its crystals during his alchemy preparations (the old German word “zinke” means pointed).
He was also responsible for the creation of laudanum, an opium preparation that was extensively used till the 19th century. He is also regarded as the first systematic botanist.
The word “bombastic,” which describes a pretentious and embroidered way of speaking or writing, derived from his name, since this was the way in which he expressed himself in his lectures and in his publications.
His contributions to Medicine were noteworthy. He respected the classics and worshiped Hippocrates, but insisted in further studies and further investigations, opening a path of progress for medical sciences.
Alchemy was an important discipline in the Middle Ages and it extended itself into Renaissance. Most alchemists were highly educated persons and possessed knowledge in many areas.
Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim was an alchemist who was also a physician, philosopher, botanist, astrologer and a specialist in occult sciences.He called himself “Paracelsus,” for he considered himself “equal or superior to Celsus,” referring to Roman encyclopedist Cornelius Celsus, who wrote six treatises about medicine in the 1st century. Incidentally, these were the first medical books to be printed in movable type after Gutenberg invented them.
Paracelsus was born near Zürich in 1493 and died in the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1541.
He started to study Medicine in Basel, moved to Vienna and finished his studies in Ferrara. He journeyed extensively through Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Russia, all the time quarreling with other physicians, accusing them of totally accepting the classics and refusing to admit new knowledge.
Since he made remarkable cures, he attracted much attention and attracted many young physicians who wanted him as a teacher. He taught in the local languages, breaking with the tradition of the time, that was to use Latin in all medical lectures. My friend Claus Claussen, an eminent neurotologist, likes to quote one of Paracelsus’ sayings: “He who cures is right.”
Paracelsus, painted by Jan van Scorel (Wikimedia Commons)
He was the first physician to use experimentation in order to learn more about the mechanisms of the human body. He was the father of toxicology, and felt that “all things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.”
Paracelsus pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine. He is credited for naming the metal zinc, inspired by the sharp pointed appearance of its crystals during his alchemy preparations (the old German word “zinke” means pointed).
He was also responsible for the creation of laudanum, an opium preparation that was extensively used till the 19th century. He is also regarded as the first systematic botanist.
The word “bombastic,” which describes a pretentious and embroidered way of speaking or writing, derived from his name, since this was the way in which he expressed himself in his lectures and in his publications.
His contributions to Medicine were noteworthy. He respected the classics and worshiped Hippocrates, but insisted in further studies and further investigations, opening a path of progress for medical sciences.
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