Allen G. Debus (1926–2009)

THE CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY

Paracelsian Science and
Medicine in the Sixteenth
and Seventeenth Centuries

Allen G. Debus

Swiss-born physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493-1541) and his
disciples espoused a doctrine they proclaimed as a truly Christian
interpretation of nature in chemistry. Drawing upon a mixture of
ancient, medieval, and Renaissance sources, they developed a new
philosophy that interpreted both macrocosmic and microcosmic
events through the personal observations of the chemist and the
Divine Grace of the Lord. Until the publication of this book, however,
the breadth and vicissitudes of the Paracelşian approach to nature
and medicine had been little studied.

This volume spans more than a century, providing a rich record of the
major interests of the Paracelsian and other chemical philosophers
and the conflicts in which they engaged with their contemporaries. It
examines chemistry and nature in the Renaissance, the Paracelsian
debates, the theories of Robert Fludd, the Helmontian restatement of
the chemical philosophy, and many other issues of this transitional
era in the history of science.

Enhanced with 36 black-and-white illustrations, this well-researched
and compellingly related study will fascinate students of the history
of science, chemistry, and medicine.

Dover (2002) republication in one volume of The Chemical Philosophy
Paracelsian Science and Medicine in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth
Centuries (2 volumes), published by Science History Publications, a
division of Neale Watson Academic Publications, New York, 1977. New
Preface. Postscript. Bibliography. Index. Errata List. 36 black-and-
white illustrations. xxvi-609pp. 538 x 8 . Paperbound… (meer)