Paracelsus: Between Magic and Medicine in the Renaissance

Join me, Dr. Julia Martins, as we step into the life of Paracelsus, a figure whose ideas transformed the way we think about medicine and alchemy during the Renaissance. This episode of 'Living History' shines a light on Paracelsus, showing how his unique perspective on health, healing, and the natural world challenged the norms of his time and influenced the future of medical practice.

Learn about Paracelsus's contributions to medicine, including his innovative use of minerals and plants in treatments, and how his beliefs in the interconnectedness of the universe and health foreshadowed modern holistic approaches. Discover his travels, his writings, and the controversies that surrounded him, providing insights into a man who sought understanding beyond the accepted knowledge of his era.

We invite you to engage with this journey into the past, share your views, and if you find these explorations as fascinating as we do, please support our channel with a like and subscribe.

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02:08 - An Adventurous Character
06:10 - Rejecting the Medical Establishment
10:28 - Iatrochemistry
17:47 - Magic, Alchemy, and Medicine
22:10 - Paracelsus on the Rise
28:04 - Proto-Frankenstein Vibes...?
35:56 - Final Thoughts

Primary Sources:
Guinther von Andernach, De Medicine Veteri et Nova (1571).
Hieronymus Brunschwig, The Book on the Art of Distilling Simples (1500)
Hieronymus Brunschwig, The Book on the Art of Distilling Composite Remedies (1512).
Paracelsus, Prophecy for the Next Twenty-Four Years (1536).
Paracelsus, Der grossen Wundartzney (1536).
Paracelsus, Seven Defenses of Paracelsus (against Those who Seek to Defame Me) (1994, original ca. 1530s).
(Pseudo-?)Paracelsus, De natura rerum (1572).
Anonymous, Aurora Thesaurusque Philosophorum Paracelsi... Preterea Anatomia Viva Paracelsi (1577)
Oswald Croll, Basilica Chymica (1609).
Peter Severinus, Idea Medicinae Philosophicae (1517).
Pharmacopoeia Londinensis (1618).

Further Reading:
Lawrence Conrad, Michael Neve, Vivian Nutton, Roy Porter, Andrew Wear, The Western Medical Tradition (1995).
Allen Debus, Man and Nature in the Renaissance (1978).
Karen Hunger Parshall, Michael T. Walton, Bruce T. Moran (eds.) Bridging Traditions: Alchemy, Chemistry, and Paracelsian Practices in the Early Modern Era (2015).
Julia Martins, 'The Mother of All Things: Reshaping Medical Knowledge in Translation', Epoch, March 2023. https://www.epoch-magazine.com/post/t...
Julia Martins, What is the 'Doctrine of Signatures' https://juliamartins.co.uk/what-is-th...
Bruce Moran, Distilling Knowledge: Alchemy, Chemistry, and the Scientific Revolution (2005).
Bruce Moran, Paracelsus: An Alchemical Life (2019).
Wolf-Dieter Müller-Jahncke, Astrologisch-magische Theorie und Praxis in der Heilkunde der frühen Neuzeit (1985).
Amadeo Murase (2020) 'The Homunculus and the Paracelsian Liber de imaginibus', Ambix, 67:1, pp. 47-61.
William Newman, Promethean Ambitions: Alchemy and the Quest to Perfect Nature (2004).
William Newman, 'Bad Chemistry: Basilisks and Women in Paracelsus and pseudo-Paracelsus', Ambix. 2020 67(1), pp. 30-46.
William Newman and Anthony Grafton (eds.), Secrets of Nature: Astrology and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe (2001).
Katherine Park and Lorraine Daston (eds)., The Cambridge History of Science, vol. 3, Early Modern Science (2006).
Walter Pagel, Paracelsus: An Introduction to Philosophical Medicine in the Era of the Renaissance (1982).
Lawrence Principe, The Secrets of Alchemy (2013).
Lynn Thorndike, A History of Magic and Experimental Science, vols. 5–6 (1923–1958).
Charles Webster, From Paracelsus to Newton: Magic and the Making of Modern Science (1982).

Intro Music:
Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/