Chemistry Flashcards
What was the importance of alchemy to chemistry (ie., what did it provide to chemistry)?
it provided chemistry with techniques of analysis, materials (glassware), procedures, and concepts that were fundamental to development of chemistry
What were some deficiencies of alchemy as a science?
it was mystical
not quantitative
there was no established theory of matter guiding their operations except the vague text of the Emerald Tablet
There was no real understanding of what they were doing because their fundamental goal was to change metal into gold and to fulfill mystical goals
What was Paracelsus’ real name?
Philippus Aureolus Theophastrus Bombastus von Hohenhelm
What does “Paracelsus” mean?
better than Celsus - Celsus was a well-known ancient Roman encyclopedist
What was Paracelsus’ life like? Did he have a formal education?
He studied at multiple universities to study medicine, but inevitably gave up academia to travel and get different experience and be a travelling doctor
he was known to be a drunk and some people loved him and some did not like him at all
Who was Paracelsus? What science was he involved in?
He was a 15th century alchemist and physician even though he probably didn’t have an actual medical degree
Did Paracelsus have a medical degree? How did this influence his career?
He most likely didn’t have a legitimate medical degree but regardless he had a private physician practice and used simple, inexpensive medicines
Who was known (self-proclaimed) to be a “double doctor?”
Paracelsus… even though he didn’t have a medical degree
Was Paracelsus liked during his career?
Not by colleagues, but often by patients
Where did Paracelsus teach medicine? How long did this professorship last and how did it end?
at the University of Basel
even appointed City Physician of Basel at one point
short-lived, he publicly burned Avicenna and Galen’s works during a lecture and he was thrown out of Basel in a few months
How did Paracelsus display his obvious disdain for academia and academic culture during his time in Basel?
wELL
1) gave his public lecture in German, rather than the international academic language, Latin - so that anyone could understand
2) he displayed his own poop to discuss digestion in his public lecture
3) he allegedly burned the works of Avicenna and Galen in his public lecture
What was Paracelsus’ approach and philosophy to medicine?
anti-authoritarian
the only ancient author that is worthwhile is Hippocrates
medicine should be function-focused, not form - dissections on cadavers is useless and ‘dead anatomy’
life is a chemical process and chemistry is key to understanding human function and medicine
the ‘archeus’ is a mystical, internal alchemisty which controls functions
illness is caused by defects in body chemistry and there should be a specific chemical therapy for each disease
choice of drugs for treatment should be partly based on astrology (macrocosm/microcosm)
choice of drugs should also be based on the Doctrine of Signatures
Which ancient author did Paracelsus respect?
Hippocrates
What aspect(s) of Paracelsus’ philosophy and approach to chemistry and medicine aligns with ancient Chinese ideas regarding the macro/microcosm?
Paracelsus believed that the choice of drug for treatment should be based on astrology and there existed a correspondence between planets, metals, and parts of body
What was iatrochemistry? Who coined this idea and how is it relevant today?
Paracelsus’ approach to understanding human function and to medicine which centralized chemical processes
this was pre-meditated by Avicenna and is accepted today
What was archeus?
Some force (unclear) described by Paracelsus which controls human body function - some mystical internal alchemical agent
How did Paracelsus borrow from Islamic medicine and science in his approach to medicine?
He was alchemical and mystical in much of his approach but mainly he thought:
Like Avicenna, that chemistry should be central to medicine (iatrochemistry)
there should be specific, simple, and quantitative chemical therapy for each disease (opposite of polypharmacy)
What was the Doctrine of Signatures? give an example
Idea coined from Culpepper’s “English Physician” but not a new concept
The use of plants as medicine based on the idea that a plant’s form tells you what it’s purpose is or which ailment it can treat - it’s signatured with a purpose
ex. liverleaf looks like a liver so it must be able to treat illnesses of the liver
How did Paracelsus treat wounds?
by keeping them clean and letting them self-heal
How did Paracelsus treat syphilis?
low doses of mercury to slow the progression of the disease
What was the alternative to Paracelsus’ wound treatment?
cauterization or amputation
How did Paracelus use metals and minerals for various complaints?
salt
mercury
sulphur
hydrogen - acids and metals = gas
zinc
Which two other drugs are associated with Paracelsus?
laudanum - opium powder in alcohol
sweet vitriol - an ether
How important were Paracelsus’ religious beliefs to his approach to science?
very, they influenced him heavily - he thought science and religion were inseparable
people thought he was a pantheist though
While Paracelsus had a good understanding of the importance of chemistry to medicine, where did his views become too mystical?
he believed astrology should inform drug choice for treatments
What is the balance sheet for Paracelsus?
He thought like a chemist, like a biochemist, but he also thought like a mystic
Who was Jan Baptista Van Helmont (1679-1644)? Who inspired him?
a Flemish mystic, physician, chemist
Inspired by Paracelsus and believed in the idea of iatrochemistry (chemistry is at the center of human function and should be central to medicine)
How did Van Helmont demonstrate conservation of matter in his experiments?
in chemical reactions, he recorded that when dissolving metal in acid, the combined weight of the 2 does not change
How was Van Helmont concept of matter reminiscent of Thales’?
Like Thales, Van Helmont thought everything is made of water (except for air)
