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Top 10 Remarkable Facts About Paracelsus

Paracelsus, also known as Theophrastus Von Hohenheim was born in 1493 in Egg
an der Sihl,a village close to the Etzel pass in Einsiedeln, Schwyz in Switzerland.

He was a Swiss Physician, Alchemist, Lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance.
Paracelsus was a pioneer in several aspects of the medical revolution of the Renaissance.

Here are 10 Remarkable Facts About Paracelsus

1. Paracelsus pioneered modern Toxicology

Paracelsus was a pioneer in several aspects of the medical revolution. He emphasized the value of observation in combination with received wisdom.

He is credited as the “Father of Toxicology” a scientific discipline overlapping biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine.

It involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins and toxicants. 

2. His works inspired a movement called “paracelsianism”

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Paracelsianism is the early modern medical movement inspired by the study of
Paracelsus works both in theories and therapies. 

It developed in the second half of the 16th century and it flourished during the first
half of the 17th century. It represented the most comprehensive alternative
to learning medicine.

Although Paracelsianism declined in the late 17th century, it left its mark on medical practices. 

3. He inspired the Paracelsus theory

Paracelsus believed that true anatomy could only be understood once the
nourishment for each part of the body was discovered. He believed that one must
know the influence of the stars on a particular body part.

He believed that diseases were caused by poisons brought from the stars and that a
the physician must have wisdom and certain spiritual qualities to be able to cure his
patients.
Paracelsus also believed that all knowledge could be discovered by intuition, searching within the human mind, because a man was a microcosm of the Universe. 

4. Paracelsus was Referred to as the 鈥淟uther of medicine鈥�

Paracelsus became a municipal physician from 1524 to 1527. During that time, he
contemplated many fundamental issues such as the meaning of life and death,
health, the causes of disease internal imbalances, or external forces. 

This led to the development of a Paracelsian approach to medicine and unique
philosophy and theology. Paracelsus was a free thinker, an iconoclast, and a
theosophist.

He became a scientist, a mystic, and a reformer hence the term the 鈥淟uther of Medicine鈥�.

5. Paracelsus attained his doctorate in 1516

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Paracelsus studied at several universities in Europe, receiving his baccalaureate in
medicine in 1510 and his doctorate in 1516 from the University of Ferrara.

It was at this time he assumed the name Paracelsus 鈥減ara鈥� meaning beside or beyond, and 鈥淐elsus鈥� for a famous Roman physician.

6. Paracelsus Rejected the Galen Theory

During his travels in Egypt, Arabia, and the Holy Land, Paracelsus observed the
methods of physicians, chemists, and spiritual healers there.

He applied this experience to his research, rejecting the theories of Galen which had been the foundation for European medicine during the Middle Ages.

Galen’s understanding of anatomy and medicine was principally influenced by the
then-current theory of the four touches of humor namely black bile, yellow bile,
blood, and phlegm.

His views dominated and influenced Western medical science for more than 1,300 years. His anatomical reports were based mainly on the dissection of Barbary apes.

7. He pioneered Treatments using Chemical Remedies

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Paracelsus contributed substantially to the rise of modern medicine by pioneering
treatments using new chemical remedies, including those containing mercury,
sulfur, iron, and copper sulfate.

He wrote the clinical description of syphilis and discovered the correlation between goiters and minerals in drinking water.

Paracelsus  introduced the idea of treating an illness with a small dosage of the
illness and the importance of chemicals and minerals to the body.

8. He Declared what Makes Men ill also Cures Them

In 1530 Paracelsus wrote a clinical description of syphilis, in which he maintained
that the disease could be successfully treated by carefully measured doses
of mercury compounds taken internally. 

He stated that silicosis resulted from inhaling metal vapors and was not a
punishment for sin administered by mountain spirits. He was the first to declare
that, if given in small doses, 鈥渨hat makes a man ill also cures him.

Paracelsus is said to have cured many people in the plague-stricken town of
Starting in the summer of 1534 by administering orally a pill made of bread
containing a minute amount of the patient鈥檚 excreta he had removed on a
needlepoint.

9. Paracelsus was the First to Connect Goiter to Minerals

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Paracelsus was the first to connect goiter with minerals, especially lead, in drinking
water.

He prepared and used new chemical remedies, including those containing
mercury, sulfur, iron, and copper sulfate, thus uniting medicine with chemistry.

10. He inherited his interest in medicine from his Father

Paracelsus inherited his interest in medicine, botany, and herbs from his father. The
two went for long walks in the countryside of Villach in Carinthia Austria, where
they moved in 1502.
 
 His father was a physician and helped in establishing a hospital for the treatment of syphilis and traded the 鈥淗oly Wood鈥� guaiac exclusively. 
 
Paracelsus  also briefly worked in the  silver mines’ chemical laboratory, where he observed miners鈥� diseases, such as silicosis, and other damage caused by
the inhalation of mercury and arsenic fumes.