PARACELSUS

born Nov. 11 or Dec. 17, 1493, Einsiedeln, Switz. died Sept. 24, 1541, Salzburg, Archbishopric of Salzburg [now in Austria] byname of Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus Von Hohenheim German-Swiss physician and alchemist who established the role of chemistry in medicine. He published Der grossen Wundartzney (Great Surgery Book) in 1536 and a clinical description of syphilis in 1530. Additional reading The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombast of Hohenheim, Called Paracelsus the Great, trans. by A.E. Waite, 2 vol. (1894, reprinted 1976), contains a useful biographical preface and full text of the 28 principal works of Paracelsus. Franz Hartmann, The Life of Philippus Theophrastus Bombast of Hohenheim, Known by the Name of Paracelsus, and the Substance of His Teachings (1887, reprinted in The Prophecies of Paracelsus, 1973), is a useful biographical outline, with good translations of extracts from the main works. See also A. Stoddart, The Life of Paracelsus, Theophrastus von Hohenheim (1911), a clear biographical outline, with a popular summary of his writings; Basilio de Telepnef, Paracelsus: A Genius Amidst a Troubled World (1945), a concise biographical essay and an outline of his teaching, notes, and a map of his travels, based upon research to 1945; John G. Hargrave, The Life and Soul of Paracelsus (1951), an attempt to correct certain misconceptions regarding the outlook and teaching of this extraordinary genius; Henry M. Pachter, Paracelsus: Magic into Science (1951); Walter Pagel, Paracelsus (1958), an analysis of antecedents of Paracelsus, his thought and influence; and Allen G. Debus, The English Paracelsians (1965), a study of the influence of Paracelsus on English thought in the years after his death.