| Paracelsus, Philippus
Aureolus, pseudonym of Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim
(1493?-1541), German physician and chemist. Quarrelsome and vitriolic,
Paracelsus defied the medical tenets of his time, asserting that diseases
were caused by agents that were external to the body and that they could
be countered by chemical substances. Born in Einsiedeln (now in Switzerland),
Paracelsus received a degree in medicine, possibly from the University
of Vienna, and traveled widely in search of alchemical knowledge, especially
of mineralogy. He sharply criticized the cherished belief of the Scholastics,
derived from the writings of the Greek physician Galen, that diseases were
caused by an imbalance of bodily "humors" or fluids, and that
they would be cured by bloodletting and purging. Believing instead that
disease attacks from without, Paracelsus devised mineral remedies with
which he thought the body could defend itself. He identified the characteristics
of numerous diseases, such as goiter and syphilis, and used ingredients
such as sulfur and mercury compounds to counter them. Many of his remedies
were based on the belief that "like cures like," and in this
respect he was a precursor of homeopathy. Although the writings of Paracelsus
contained elements of magic, his revolt against ancient medical precepts
freed medical thinking, enabling it to take a more scientific course. Microsoft
Encarta 97 |
