The Devil's Doctor

Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science

Biography & Memoir, Historical
Cover of the book The Devil's Doctor by Philip Ball, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Philip Ball ISBN: 9781429921824
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: April 18, 2006
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Philip Ball
ISBN: 9781429921824
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: April 18, 2006
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim, who called himself Paracelsus, stands at the cusp of medieval and modern times. A contemporary of Luther, an enemy of the medical establishment, a scourge of the universities, an alchemist, an army surgeon, and a radical theologian, he attracted myths even before he died. His fantastic journeys across Europe and beyond were said to be made on a magical white horse, and he was rumored to carry the elixir of life in the pommel of his great broadsword. His name was linked with Faust, who bargained with the devil.

Who was the man behind these stories? Some have accused him of being a charlatan, a windbag who filled his books with wild speculations and invented words. Others claim him as the father of modern medicine. Philip Ball exposes a more complex truth in The Devil's Doctor—one that emerges only by entering into Paracelsus's time. He explores the intellectual, political, and religious undercurrents of the sixteenth century and looks at how doctors really practiced, at how people traveled, and at how wars were fought. For Paracelsus was a product of an age of change and strife, of renaissance and reformation. And yet by uniting the diverse disciplines of medicine, biology, and alchemy, he assisted, almost in spite of himself, in the birth of science and the emergence of the age of rationalism.

"Ball produces a vibrant, original portrait of a man of contradictions:" - Publishers Weekly

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim, who called himself Paracelsus, stands at the cusp of medieval and modern times. A contemporary of Luther, an enemy of the medical establishment, a scourge of the universities, an alchemist, an army surgeon, and a radical theologian, he attracted myths even before he died. His fantastic journeys across Europe and beyond were said to be made on a magical white horse, and he was rumored to carry the elixir of life in the pommel of his great broadsword. His name was linked with Faust, who bargained with the devil.

Who was the man behind these stories? Some have accused him of being a charlatan, a windbag who filled his books with wild speculations and invented words. Others claim him as the father of modern medicine. Philip Ball exposes a more complex truth in The Devil's Doctor—one that emerges only by entering into Paracelsus's time. He explores the intellectual, political, and religious undercurrents of the sixteenth century and looks at how doctors really practiced, at how people traveled, and at how wars were fought. For Paracelsus was a product of an age of change and strife, of renaissance and reformation. And yet by uniting the diverse disciplines of medicine, biology, and alchemy, he assisted, almost in spite of himself, in the birth of science and the emergence of the age of rationalism.

"Ball produces a vibrant, original portrait of a man of contradictions:" - Publishers Weekly

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book The Marriage Plot by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Cure at Troy by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Metro Stop Dostoevsky by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Hild by Philip Ball
Cover of the book MFA vs NYC by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Time's Memory by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Paris Trance by Philip Ball
Cover of the book More Than Conquerors by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Power to the People by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Courage for Truth by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Silent Lotus by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Priceless by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Matters of Life, Death, and More by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Ghosts of the Tsunami by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Before Dawn on Bluff Road / Hollyhocks in the Fog by Philip Ball
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy