Chemical Philosophy (eBook)

Allen G. Debus (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2013
624 Seiten
Dover Publications (Verlag)
978-0-486-15021-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Illustrated record of major interests of Paracelsus and other 16th-century chemical philosophers covers chemistry and nature in the Renaissance, Paracelsian debates, theories of Fludd, and other fascinating aspects of the era.

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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 Paracelsian 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.

Inhalt

Volume ILIST OF PLATESPREFACE TO DOVER EDITIONPREFACE1 CHEMISTRY AND NATURE IN THE RENAISSANCE The Chemical Heritage: Alchemy in Antiquity Islamic Alchemy The Latin Alchemy of the West Medieval Medical Chemistry: The Analysis of Spa Waters The Chemically Prepared Medicines Renaissance Factors: The Educational Problem The Hermetic Revival and the Study of Nature "Magic, Mathematics, and Nature" Paracelsus: The Man The Paracelsian System Conclusion2 THE CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY The Paracelsian Universe "Paracelsian "Mathematics" Chemistry and the New Science Chemical Theory and the Elements Chemistry and the Geocosm The Microcosm and Medical Theory The Chemical Analysis of Spa Waters The New Medicines The Basilica chymica of Oswald Crollius (1609) Conclusion3 THE PARACELSIAN DEBATES Synthesis and Reaction: The Work of Severinus The Search for Common Ground: Albertus Wimpenaeus (1569) and Guinter von Andernach (1571) French Paracelsism in the Late Sixteenth Century The Paris Confrontation (1603) The English Solution The College of Physicians and the Pharmacopoeia (1618) The Agreement and Disagreement of Daniel Sennert (1619) Conclusion4 THE SYNTHESIS OF ROBERT FLUDD Robert Fludd and the Rosicrucian Problem (1617) The Fluddean Philosophy The Initial Reaction in England (1618-1623) Fludd and Kepler (1619-1623) Fludd and the French Mechanists (1623-1633) Fludd and the Weapon-Salve Controversy (1631-1638) ConclusionVolume II5 THE BROKEN CHAIN: THE HELMONTIAN RESTATEMENT OF THE CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY Van Helmont: The Early Years The Tract on the Weapon-Salve (1621) The Letters to Mersenne (1630-1631) Van Helmont's Final Years (1631-1644) The Helmontian Philosophy of Nature: Mathematics and Motion The Elements and the Principles Chemistry as the Key to Nature Quantification: A New Chemical Tool The Vacuum and the Magnal A Model for the Geocosm The Mineral Kingdom The Chemical Geocosm of Edward Jorden (1631) Helmontian Medicine: The Divine Office of the Physician The Theory of Disease Tartaric Disease Chemical Inquiries: The Search for the Vital Spirit A New Concept of Digestion The Chemical Remedies A Challenge for the Future6 "THE CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY IN TRANSITION: NATURE, EDUCATION, AND STATE" Educational Reform: Background John Webster and the Academiarum examen (1654) The Vindiciae academiarum of John Wilkins and Seth Ward Thomas Hall's Whip for Webster (1654) Chemistry and the State: The Agricultural Problem Agricultural Chemistry in Seventeenth-Century England Chemistry and Economic Policy: Johann Rudolph Glauber The Prosperity of Germany (1656-1661) Conclusion7 THE CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY IN TRANSITION: TOWARD A NEW CHEMISTRY AND MEDICINE Chemistry in Mid-Century: Lefévre (1660) and Rhumelius (1648) Geocosmic Considerations: F.M. van Helmont (1685) and John Webster (1671) J.J. Becher's Pysica subterranea (1669) G. E. Stahl and Chemical Tradition The Chemical Corpuscularians: Walter Charleton and the Chemical Philosophy "The "Helmontian" Robert Boyle" The Analysis Problem The Nitro-Aerial Particles in Mid-Century The Acid-Alkali Theory after van Helmont Chemistry and Late-Seventeenth-Century Medicine: The Chemical Medicine of Noah Biggs (1651) Chemistry and the London College of Physicians Chemistry and the Blood The Chemical Medicine of Willis and Sylvius A Newtonian Postscript Conclusion8 POSTSCRIPT The Chemical Philosophy in Retrospect Acceptance and Rejection: The Question of Influence AftermathBIBLIOGRAPHYINDEXERRATA

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.3.2013
• Reihe/Serie: Dover Books on Chemistry
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 140 x 140 mm
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Chemie
• ISBN-10: 0-486-15021-6 / 0486150216
• ISBN-13: 978-0-486-15021-5 / 9780486150215