Paracelsus: Between Magic and Medicine in the Renaissance

Join me, Dr. Julia Martins, as we step into the life of Paracelsus, a figure whose ideas transformed the way we think about medicine and alchemy during the Renaissance. This episode of 'Living History' shines a light on Paracelsus, showing how his unique perspective on health, healing, and the natural world challenged the norms of his time and influenced the future of medical practice.
Learn about Paracelsus's contributions to medicine, including his innovative use of minerals and plants in treatments, and how his beliefs in the interconnectedness of the universe and health foreshadowed modern holistic approaches. Discover his travels, his writings, and the controversies that surrounded him, providing insights into a man who sought understanding beyond the accepted knowledge of his era.
We invite you to engage with this journey into the past, share your views, and if you find these explorations as fascinating as we do, please support our channel with a like and subscribe.
/ juliamartins
02:08 - An Adventurous Character
06:10 - Rejecting the Medical Establishment
10:28 - Iatrochemistry
17:47 - Magic, Alchemy, and Medicine
22:10 - Paracelsus on the Rise
28:04 - Proto-Frankenstein Vibes...?
35:56 - Final Thoughts
Primary Sources:
Guinther von Andernach, De Medicine Veteri et Nova (1571).
Hieronymus Brunschwig, The Book on the Art of Distilling Simples (1500)
Hieronymus Brunschwig, The Book on the Art of Distilling Composite Remedies (1512).
Paracelsus, Prophecy for the Next Twenty-Four Years (1536).
Paracelsus, Der grossen Wundartzney (1536).
Paracelsus, Seven Defenses of Paracelsus (against Those who Seek to Defame Me) (1994, original ca. 1530s).
(Pseudo-?)Paracelsus, De natura rerum (1572).
Anonymous, Aurora Thesaurusque Philosophorum Paracelsi... Preterea Anatomia Viva Paracelsi (1577)
Oswald Croll, Basilica Chymica (1609).
Peter Severinus, Idea Medicinae Philosophicae (1517).
Pharmacopoeia Londinensis (1618).
Further Reading:
Lawrence Conrad, Michael Neve, Vivian Nutton, Roy Porter, Andrew Wear, The Western Medical Tradition (1995).
Allen Debus, Man and Nature in the Renaissance (1978).
Karen Hunger Parshall, Michael T. Walton, Bruce T. Moran (eds.) Bridging Traditions: Alchemy, Chemistry, and Paracelsian Practices in the Early Modern Era (2015).
Julia Martins, 'The Mother of All Things: Reshaping Medical Knowledge in Translation', Epoch, March 2023. www.epoch-magazine.com/post/t...
Julia Martins, What is the 'Doctrine of Signatures' juliamartins.co.uk/what-is-th...
Bruce Moran, Distilling Knowledge: Alchemy, Chemistry, and the Scientific Revolution (2005).
Bruce Moran, Paracelsus: An Alchemical Life (2019).
Wolf-Dieter Müller-Jahncke, Astrologisch-magische Theorie und Praxis in der Heilkunde der frühen Neuzeit (1985).
Amadeo Murase (2020) 'The Homunculus and the Paracelsian Liber de imaginibus', Ambix, 67:1, pp. 47-61.
William Newman, Promethean Ambitions: Alchemy and the Quest to Perfect Nature (2004).
William Newman, 'Bad Chemistry: Basilisks and Women in Paracelsus and pseudo-Paracelsus', Ambix. 2020 67(1), pp. 30-46.
William Newman and Anthony Grafton (eds.), Secrets of Nature: Astrology and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe (2001).
Katherine Park and Lorraine Daston (eds)., The Cambridge History of Science, vol. 3, Early Modern Science (2006).
Walter Pagel, Paracelsus: An Introduction to Philosophical Medicine in the Era of the Renaissance (1982).
Lawrence Principe, The Secrets of Alchemy (2013).
Lynn Thorndike, A History of Magic and Experimental Science, vols. 5-6 (1923-1958).
Charles Webster, From Paracelsus to Newton: Magic and the Making of Modern Science (1982).
Intro Music:
Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/

Пікірлер: 63

  • @1234cheerful
    @1234cheerful3 ай бұрын

    So far I am voting YES on every topic where you say, "Let me know if you want a video on..." but especially the history of menstruation and the history of dissection.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    That's so wonderful to hear! ♥

  • @profpartout6609

    @profpartout6609

    3 ай бұрын

    Same here!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Fabulous, thank you! ♥

  • @paulagruman8311

    @paulagruman8311

    3 ай бұрын

    Same!!!! I'm so so curious about both!

  • @Christine92CR
    @Christine92CR3 ай бұрын

    I love how you don't cut out the interruptions by your furry assistant. Adorable. And for the topics you offered to make more videos on: I'm always curious. Please do as many as you can.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    I'm glad you appreciate Pancake's cameos... I just can't make myself edit him out of the final video lol! And great to hear about the other topics. Thank you for watching and commenting! :)

  • @Christine92CR

    @Christine92CR

    3 ай бұрын

    @@juliamartinshistory I don't just appreciate them, I love them. It just adds to the videos. :)

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you, that's so kind! ♥

  • @1234cheerful
    @1234cheerful3 ай бұрын

    Oh! rabbit hole researches are the most fun sometimes!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    They really are hard to resist lol!

  • @letiziacastiglione2492
    @letiziacastiglione24923 ай бұрын

    Yes to La porta/witches!! And also yes to every other subject you have mentioned in the “would you be interested in…” mentions. Lol. 😍

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Lol that is so nice to hear! Thank you for watching :)

  • @fraserbuilds
    @fraserbuilds3 ай бұрын

    what an incredible video! thank you for your time and effort in bringing together such a fascinating and nuanced perspective on a figure so complex and controversial that to someone like me it can be hard to even figure out where to start learning about him! Im so glad a friend shared this channel with me :) Just phenomenal!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for your kind feedback. The channel is quite new and so it's wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment :)

  • @reporebo
    @reporebo3 ай бұрын

    What a wonderful channel! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I especially appreciate the focus on women’s and pregnant people’s experiences on your channel in addition to this excellent alchemical history!

  • @reporebo

    @reporebo

    3 ай бұрын

    Also, thank you for leaving in your cat’s intimate moments. 😂 My late cat was nicknamed “homunculus” so seeing yours going to town in the window during that section made me laugh so hard!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I'm so glad you're enjoying the videos! :)

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Haha Pancake is definitely not camera-shy... And what a fabulous nickname for a cat! 🙀 ♥

  • @RicardoReyes-mg4hi
    @RicardoReyes-mg4hi3 ай бұрын

    Great content! I'm looking forward to seeing your insights on Paracelsianism. I will share this into my group!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    2 ай бұрын

    That's so kind of you, thank you! I really appreciate it. And sorry for the late reply!

  • @zadokcoaching3528
    @zadokcoaching35282 ай бұрын

    I adore what your sharing.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    2 ай бұрын

    Thank you! So glad you enjoyed the video :)

  • @user-cr2bt3zp1f
    @user-cr2bt3zp1f3 ай бұрын

    A great video! Definitely a lot of interesting things to know about Paracelsus, and some good insights. I do, however, think that approaching Paracelsus as a scientific figure, and treating chemistry and alchemy as two distinct things that were "still indistinguishable", can lead to some inaccurate and anachronistic readings of history, and makes understanding these figures such as Paracelsus more difficult than if they are approached in a way that recognizes them in their own, pre-Scientific Revolution times. I'm very much glad that this video doesn't go too far down the rabbit hole in this regard, and that it recognizes the role of the specific intellectual presuppositions held in the 16th century. However, it does still strike me as tending anachronistic at times, especially when talking about him as this pioneering figure who, as a 'man of his times', still believed in foolish superstitions like magic and mysticism, as if these things were clearly separate in the early modern world. This way of imposing modern categories in understanding historical figures is not an approach I can really get behind. As far as women in alchemy, I've mostly heard about some of the women of Greco-Egyptian alchemy, so a video on women in Medieval or Early Modern alchemy would be most welcome.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for your comment. I'm glad you found the video interesting, and I completely understand your point. Someone like Paracelsus is difficult to pin down. I think it does depend on how you define 'Scientific Revolution', which is something that I should probably make another video about. You're right, in many ways he was in 'pre-scientific' times, but arguably without people like these experimenters we wouldn't get to people like Isaac Newton. (Who was also quite into alchemy and took it seriously.) But I agree with you, we shouldn't go too far with this reasoning. And I might have expressed myself poorly, but I meant that magic and mysticism weren't separate at all in this period. I too think that using contemporary categories to think of the past isn't helpful and would be anachronistic. In terms of women alchemists, there were many experimenters in German and Italian courts at the time, so definitely well worth a video. Thank you again for watching and commenting :)

  • @LizzyB-xu8ep
    @LizzyB-xu8ep3 ай бұрын

    when i go down the rabbit hole of mysticism so deep, i found your amazing channel 😍 i love how you include a broader historical context in your video, when telling story of the life of the lesser-known figures from the mysterious past. it’s so fascinating and informative. and i would absolutely love to know more of the woman alchemists and magic about menstruation!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    That's so nice to hear, thank you! ♥ I'm glad to hear that you'd find those topics interesting, too. Thanks for watching and commenting! :)

  • @sueancell7655
    @sueancell76553 ай бұрын

    Yes please, a video on each from your list 👍

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    So wonderful to hear that, thank you! :)

  • @Rico-Suave_
    @Rico-Suave_28 күн бұрын

    Great video, thank you very much , note to self(nts) watched all in it 40:00

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    28 күн бұрын

    Thank you so much! :)

  • @StoneHerne
    @StoneHerne3 ай бұрын

    😃 Woao, yor channel is amazing, Dr. Martins! I just discovered it and subscribed! Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I'm interested in the topics that you mentioned, specially the alchemist women! Greetings from Mexico City! 😃

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    That's so kind of you, thank you! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the videos. :) And yes - women alchemists are on my list! (Oh and I visited Mexico City a while back and I don't think I've ever had such wonderful food in my life - and I'm Brazilian!)

  • @StoneHerne

    @StoneHerne

    3 ай бұрын

    @@juliamartinshistory 😃 Cool! Your country is super interesting too! Have a great weekend! 😃

  • @paulagruman8311
    @paulagruman83113 ай бұрын

    So interesting how throughout time it seems like we can't shake off the urge to try and "play god" i.e. create and shape life. Loved learning about paracelsus, thank you for everything you teach us ❤

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Well said! I think it's a deeply human impulse. So glad to hear that you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching! :)

  • @Probablee_Ashlee
    @Probablee_Ashlee3 ай бұрын

    This girl reminds me of that one serial kiľľer from law and order criminal intent. The woman who was a professor for English and murdered her 2 month old baby then came to America and started poisoning people. The way she sits and the way she talks everything.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Hahaha the secret is out lol!

  • @Probablee_Ashlee

    @Probablee_Ashlee

    3 ай бұрын

    @@juliamartinshistory it’s okay, we still love you!

  • @Iz-ly9in
    @Iz-ly9in3 ай бұрын

    first time finding one of your videos and im obsessed! this video was fun and informative! thank you julia!! ALSO YES I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT THE INQUISITION

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    That is so kind of you, thank you! ♥ I'm glad to hear that you'd find a video about the Inquisition interesting, too :)

  • @mariaisabelbragattiwinckler
    @mariaisabelbragattiwinckler3 ай бұрын

    Julia! Adorei! Confesso que fiquei maravilhada com tantas informações, demonstram uma pesquisa enorme e profunda! E sim, todos os tópicos que mencionaste pra futuras conversas me interessaram. Parabéns!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🌹🥰

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Muito obrigada! Que bom que acharam interessante as outras ideias também. Adoro esses assuntos! ♥

  • @tmplblck
    @tmplblck3 ай бұрын

    We hear a lot in media about the humors but never about the unnaturals.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    I agree, it's not spoken about as often. But it was the basis of hygiene and preventative medicine for centuries!

  • @gutzimmumdo4910
    @gutzimmumdo49103 ай бұрын

    great video, the cat so cute

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Pancake agrees with you - he's the cutest! ♥

  • @RanaAgens
    @RanaAgens2 ай бұрын

    I'd be interested if you made videos about women alchemists in the early modern period. Dr. Justin Sledge over at Esoterica has talked about doing that as well.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    2 ай бұрын

    That's great to hear, thank you! And good to hear he's interested in this topic as well :)

  • @eunicegruman2930
    @eunicegruman29303 ай бұрын

    Este canal fazia falta! Adoro aprender sobre todos esses conhecimentos antigos que, no entanto, bizarrices à parte, parecem tão atuais! No século XXI, ainda vemos as pessoas divididas entre médicos altamente especializados e outros que buscam uma visão holística e mesmo mística... Quando temos o conhecimento científico como algo estabelecido, surge um movimento questionando a vacina, por exemplo... da mesma forma, há médicos que valorizam uma postura midiática, algo que vemos um pouco em Paracelso e muito em Fioravante! Enfim, fiquei muito curiosa e desejando saber mais sobre o homúnculo, ele me lembrou a lenda africana do bebê Kiriku, que já nasce sabendo todos os segredos da natureza, dos homens e dos deuses... e claro que, sendo hoje o Dia da Mulher, é ótima a sugestão de um vídeo sobre mulheres alquimistas!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    É verdade, interessante comparação! Sim, mulheres alquimistas estão na lista para um próximo vídeo :)

  • @ConfusedApe
    @ConfusedApe3 ай бұрын

    I'm not finding your paper on signatures. Did you not link it in the description?

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Oh no, I wonder if that link isn't working... I'll have a look, but here it is in the meantime, I hope it works: juliamartins.co.uk/what-is-the-doctrine-of-signatures

  • @anilin6353
    @anilin63533 ай бұрын

    Blood Chelation Is basically trearing like with like.

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    There are definitely parallels to be made!

  • @EMNstar
    @EMNstarАй бұрын

    13:00 i get it. It's immune vaccine theory.

  • @Karebear9001
    @Karebear90013 ай бұрын

    witches, hell yeah!

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    🧙‍♀️ ♥

  • @2ndPerk
    @2ndPerk3 ай бұрын

    Is the *bleep* at ~39:45 "nazi"?

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes, I was told the video could be taken down otherwise!

  • @paulagruman8311
    @paulagruman83113 ай бұрын

    "Seed" over time = homunculus, menstruation blood over time = basilisk. Actually makes sense 😂

  • @juliamartinshistory

    @juliamartinshistory

    3 ай бұрын

    Haha it's actually kind of cool in a way, isn't it?!

  • @EMNstar
    @EMNstarАй бұрын

    13:00 i get it. It's immune vaccine theory.