This page is cultural and historical background. It is not medical advice; for health concerns, see a licensed professional.
Life
Born Theophrastus von Hohenheim in Switzerland, Paracelsus practised medicine while travelling across Europe. He rejected blind reliance on ancient authorities in favour of observation and experiment, and in Basel publicly burned a classical medical text to make the point. He turned alchemy from making gold toward making medicines, taught that all things are composed of three principles, salt, sulphur and mercury, and formulated the idea that the dose makes the poison, making him a forerunner of chemical medicine and toxicology. His writings are equally full of cosmology and mysticism.
The system
- The tria prima: salt, sulphur and mercury.
- Correspondence between macrocosm and the human microcosm.
- Observation and experiment over inherited authority.
Key works
- Opus Paramirum
- Die große Wundarzney (Great Surgery Book, 1536)
Where to start
- Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor (a biography), as an accessible start.
Ask Orin
A question to start with. It opens in Orin ready to edit; nothing is sent until you press Send.
How might Paracelsus's three principles be compared with the Chinese five phases?Ask Orin this question