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 Hare with Amber Eyes by Philip Ball
Cover of the book A Rage for Order by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Pout-Pout Fish by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Blue Fox by Philip Ball
Cover of the book James Joyce by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Love Monster and the Last Chocolate by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Anatomy Lesson by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Country Girls: Three Novels and an Epilogue by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Assembling California by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Wolf in White Van by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Manifesta [10th Anniversary Edition] by Philip Ball
Cover of the book The Devil's Engine: Hellraisers by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Hack Attack by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Mr. Lear by Philip Ball
Cover of the book Bringing Ezra Back 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