Paracelsian Moments: Science, Medicine, and Astrology in Early Modern Europe

Scientific ideas inspired by religious, magical, and alchemical themes competed alongside traditional Aristotelian science and the emerging mechanical philosophy in the early modern era. At the center of this ferment was a quirky and creative German physician, Paracelsus, whose religious-alchemical worldview served as an inspiration for countless scientific innovators.

This collection is about Paracelsus and the wide range of issues he explored, and ones taken up by many who were directly or...