Alchemy and Medicine from Antiquity to the Enlightenment

This volume explores the connections between alchemy and pre-modern medicine, revealing how physicians practiced alchemy and alchemists produced medicaments. It discusses the relationship between court and city, print and manuscript, theoretical and practical knowledge, the circulation of secrets literature, the role of chemical medicine in courts and universities, and the material and economic context of alchemy.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 272 pages
\n Publication date: 01 January 2021
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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This comprehensive volume delves into the intricate relationship between alchemy and pre-modern medicine, shedding light on the practices and perspectives of physicians and alchemists during this fascinating period. By examining the exchange of knowledge, the fierce debates, and the collaborative efforts between these two disciplines, the book offers a rich and multifaceted understanding of their interactions.

Physicians and alchemists, driven by a shared fascination with both alchemy and pre-modern medicine, engaged in a complex interplay of knowledge sharing, technical adaptation, and fierce polemics. This volume explores the multifaceted relationship between these two fields, shedding light on how physicians practiced alchemy and alchemists produced medicaments.

The essays in this collection, written by subject specialists, delve into various aspects of alchemy and medicine, spanning different regions and cultural traditions. While European traditions form the core of the volume, contributors also discuss Greco-Roman Egypt, medieval Islam, the Ottoman Empire, and the East Indies, accommodating Greek, Arabic, Latin, and vernacular traditions.

Through an examination of these themes and contexts, the book offers a profound insight into the history of science and medicine. It explores the intricate relationship between court and city, print and manuscript, theoretical and practical knowledge, the circulation of secret literature, the role of chemical medicine in courts and universities, and the material and economic context of alchemy.

By examining these interconnections, the volume contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay between science, medicine, and society during the pre-modern era. It sheds light on the ways in which alchemy and medicine influenced each other, the challenges faced by practitioners, and the broader cultural and intellectual milieu in which they operated.

This comprehensive volume is a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts of history, science, and medicine, providing a deeper appreciation of the rich and complex relationship between alchemy and pre-modern medicine.

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Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781138286368\n \n