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Paracelsus
1493–1541 · Switzerland
Description
Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim, known as Paracelsus, was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance.
Facts
| Born | Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim, 10 November 1493, Egg, Schwyz, Swiss Confederacy, (now Switzerland) |
| Died | 24 September 1541(1541-09-24) (aged 47), Salzburg, Salzburg, (now Austria) |
| Education | University of Basel University of Ferrara, (M.D., 1515/16) |
| Era | Renaissance philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Renaissance humanism |
| Institutions | University of Basel |
| Main interests | Medicine, alchemy, astrology, theology |
| Notable ideas | Toxicology "The dose makes the poison" |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Work / contribution | Significance |
|---|---|
| Biography | Paracelsus was born in Einsiedeln, a village close to the Etzel Pass in the Canton of Schwyz. |
| Philosophy | As a physician of the early 16th century, Paracelsus held a natural affinity with the Hermetic, Neoplatonic, and Pythagorean philosophies central to the Renaissance, a world-view exemplified by Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola. |
| Chemistry and alchemy | Paracelsus was one of the first medical professors to recognize that physicians required a solid academic knowledge in the natural sciences, especially chemistry. |
| Contributions to medicine | His hermetic beliefs were that sickness and health in the body relied upon the harmony of humans (microcosm) and nature (macrocosm). |
| Reception and legacy | The oldest surviving portrait of Paracelsus is a woodcut by Augustin Hirschvogel, published in 1538, still during Paracelsus's lifetime. |
| Works | German Wikisource has original text related to this article: Paracelsus |