Abstract
IN his very able reconstruction of the origin and development of Western alchemy, Prof. A. J. Hopkins1 does not discuss the possible influence of Chinese ideas as the seed which may have served to crystallise alchemical philosophy in Alexandria “somewhat after the beginning of the Christian era”. He presents the origin of Egyptian alchemy as a perfectly logical and highly successful application of Platonic-Aristotelian philosophy to the apparently miraculous colour changes effected by the Egyptian craftsman in his closely allied arts of dyeing fabrics and colouring metals.
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References
Hopkins, A. J., “Alchemy: Child of Greek Philosophy”, Columbia Univ. Press, New York; 1934; Isis, 7, 58–76; 1925.
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BARNES, W. Chinese Influence on Western Alchemy. Nature 135, 824–825 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135824b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135824b0
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