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 have treated him like a madman, but it is undeniable that he was a visionary full of imagination.
- If anything had Paracelse it was an intellectual ambition.
- He undertook a relentless search for the philosopher’s stone.
- An unknown substance that would have made possible the transmutation of lead into gold.
- He also wanted to find the elixir of eternal youth and worked hard to achieve it.
- That.
“What is forged with fire is alchemy, either in the oven or in the stove. “- Paracelse-
In the midst of his fantastic adventures, Paracelse has become an extraordinary researcher, considered the father of toxicology and pharmacology.
It was a kind of hybrid between a magician and a scientist who, as he moved ahead of his time, also passionately supported his mythical and mystical beliefs.
Paracelse was born in 1493, in a region near present-day Zurich,Switzerland. Several members of his family were doctors, including his father, which greatly influenced his interest in discipline.
During his youth he worked as a mining analyst, which gave him an important knowledge of minerals, which eventually became decisive in his work. At the age of 16 he entered the University of Basel and then obtained a doctorate at the University of Basel. Ferrara.
Although related to university life, Paracelse was convinced that medicine could not be taught in an institution and was also very critical, from the beginning, of the official medicine of his time.
He interviewed Hippocrates, Avicena, and Galien, which made his colleagues look at him apprehensantly.
At first, Paracelsus chose to experiment alone and have a direct agreement with patients, which has generated a bad reputation among doctors.
His physical appearance has also been criticized. He caused rejection for being small, bald and obese, perhaps that’s why this genius has always preferred the company of the poor.
His successful experiences and innovative methods have generated myths and legends around him, some said he had a pact with the devil.
Popularly, he was known as the doctor. He was accused of magic and witchcraft, when in fact he was a man who believed deeply in God.
This tension with his comrades and other authorities led him to become a street man, he came to a place and soon came into conflict, then left. At the same time, with his strange reputation, they flew news of his effectiveness as a doctor.
Paracelsus used minerals and chemicals to treat diseases when this was not considered a possibility, allowing him to treat patients who were once incurable.
He is reported to have successfully treated cases of epilepsy, leprosy and gout. He was the first physician to describe syphilis and offer mercury treatment for the disease.
This great researcher was also the inventor of laudanum. It is one of the first known chemical painkillers. He also studied the poisons in detail and formulated a maxim that remains today: “The dose makes the poison. “
Unlike his contemporaries, Paracelse was a doctor very close to his patients, he also believed that his knowledge should be in the public domain, so he gave speeches to the community explaining his science in simple language.
Paracelse claimed that medicine had four main axes: natural sciences, astronomy, chemistry and love. I thought plants and minerals didn’t heal on their own, but they needed God’s goodness and inspiration to be truly effective.
Unlike doctors of his day, he was convinced of the benefits of surgery. At that time, this trade was practiced by the barbers and only in very specific circumstances; many doctors, centuries later, were inspired by their methods.
They weren’t all enemies of yours. Among his admirers, no less than Erasme of Rotterdam, of which he was a personal physician and friend, a German prince also provided him with his protection.
Paracelse died at the tender age of 47, killed by bandits who wanted to rob him. They wasted his time: he had already donated all his goods to the poor.