Paracelsus, Biography Of An Alchemist And Dreamer

We know him as Paracelsus, but his real name was Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim.

He was one of the most interesting figures in the history of medicine and science. Some treated him like crazy, but it is undeniable that he was a visionary full of imagination.

If Paracelsus had anything, it was an intellectual ambition. He undertook a relentless search for the Philosopher’s Stone, an unknown substance that supposedly made possible the transmutation of lead into gold. He also wanted to find the elixir of eternal youth and worked hard for it.

In the midst of his fantastic adventures, Paracelsus became an extraordinary researcher. He is considered the father of toxicology and pharmacology.

It was a kind of hybrid between magician and scientist. Just as he was ahead of his time, he also passionately supported his mythical and mystical beliefs.

The beginnings of a genius

Paracelsus was born in 1493, in an area close to what is now Zurich (Switzerland). Several members of his family were physicians, including his father, and this greatly influenced his interest in this discipline.

During his youth, he worked as an analyst in the mines. This gave him an important knowledge of minerals, which turned out to be decisive in his work. At age 16 he went to the University of Basel and later earned a doctorate at the University of Ferrara.

Although linked to academic life, Paracelsus was convinced that medicine could not be taught in an institution. He was also very critical, from the beginning, with the official medicine of his time.

He questioned Hippocrates, Avicenna and Galen. This caused him to be viewed with apprehension by his colleagues.

Paracelsus, an experimenter

Very early on, Paracelsus chose to experiment on his own and have a direct deal with patients. This gave rise to a bad reputation among doctors.

His physical appearance was also criticized. He caused rejection because he was short, bald and obese. Perhaps for this reason this genius has always preferred the company of the most destitute.

His experiences and successful innovative methods generated myths and legends around him. Some said he had a deal with the devil.

Popularly, he was known as “the accursed doctor”. He was accused of magic and witchcraft, when in reality he was a man who believed deeply in God.

This tension with his colleagues and other authorities led him to become a wandering man. He arrived at a place and it didn’t take long for him to have conflicts. Then he left again. At the same time, along with his strange reputation, news of his effectiveness as a doctor flew by.

The Alchemy and Chemistry of Paracelsus

Paracelsus used minerals and chemicals to treat illness when this was not considered a possibility. This allowed him to treat patients who, in his time, were incurable.

There are reports that he has successfully treated cases of epilepsy, leprosy and gout. He was the first doctor to describe syphilis and propose a mercury treatment for the disease.

This great researcher was also the inventor of laudanum. It is one of the first chemical analgesics that are known. He also studied poisons in great detail and formulated a maxim that remains today: “ The dose makes the poison ”.

Unlike his contemporaries, Paracelsus was a physician very close to his patients. He also believed that his knowledge should be in the public domain. For this reason, he made speeches to the community explaining his science in simple language.

A new approach to medicine

Paracelsus claimed that medicine had four main axes: natural sciences, astronomy, chemistry and love. I thought that plants and minerals didn’t heal on their own, but they needed kindness and a God-given inspiration to really be effective.

Unlike the doctors of his time, he was convinced of the benefits of surgery. At that time, this trade was carried out by barbers and only under very specific circumstances. Many doctors centuries later were inspired by his methods.

Not all were your enemies. Among his admirers was none other than Erasmus of Rotterdam, to whom he was a personal physician and friend. A German prince also gave him his protection.

Paracelsus died at the tender age of 47, murdered by some bandits who wanted to rob him. They wasted their time: he had already donated all his possessions to the poor.