Os três princípios e as doenças: a visão de dois filósofos químicos The three principles and the diseases viewed by two chemical philosophers

Paracelsus (1493 - 1541) developed a theory about three principles (sulphur, mercury, and salt) that would constitute matter, and whose mutual interactions within man's body could cause diseases. This paper discusses the influence of this theory on the work of two chemical philosophers. Oswald...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Química nova 1997-10, Vol.20 (5), p.569-572
Main Author: Paulo Alves Porto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
iatrochemistry
J. B. Van Helmont
sulphur-mercury-salt
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Paracelsus (1493 - 1541) developed a theory about three principles (sulphur, mercury, and salt) that would constitute matter, and whose mutual interactions within man's body could cause diseases. This paper discusses the influence of this theory on the work of two chemical philosophers. Oswald Crollius (1560 - 1609) considered that the conceptions of matter and disease were strongly related because of the macro - microcosm analogy, and classified diseases in sulphurean, mercurial and saline. On the other hand, J. B. Van Helmont (1579 - 1644) stated that sulphur, mercury, and salt were not true principles, and that every disease would have a specific origin. Instead of the principles, Van Helmont put the Archeus at the center of both his medical and matter theories.
ISSN:0100-4042
1678-7064
DOI:10.1590/S0100-40421997000500021