Abstract
AMONG the men of science whose centenaries occur this year, one stands out above all the others as a great reformer. This is Paracelsus, who died at Salzburg on September 24, 1541, four centuries ago. Born in Switzerland in 1493, he was a contemporary of Copernicus and Luther. In Dr. Seelig's “Medicine, an Historical Outline”, Paracelsus is spoken of as “a man of extraordinary power, forceful character, untrammelled thought and ingenious medical instinct”. His wanderings, his quarrels and his constant warring against dogma made him known throughout the universities of Europe, and interest in his activities has continued down to the present time. In NATURE of January 18, 1894, there was a note to the effect that the library of Dr. Schubert, of Frankfort-on-Main, contained no fewer than 194 editions of the works of Paracelsus, and 548 books dealing partly or chiefly with him. One of the latest lives of Paracelsus is that of Prof. J. M. Stillman, which was reviewed in these columns on August 12, 1922, by Sir Edward Thorpe.
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SMITH, E. Scientific Centenaries in 1941. Nature 147, 17–19 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/147017a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/147017a0