The Devil's Doctor by Philip Ball

The Devil's Doctor by Philip Ball

Philip Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, known to history as Paracelsus, is one of the oddest - and most intriguing - figures of European history.As Paracelsus, his name is widely familiar - he has been name-checked in the Harry Potter books, in recent novels by Jeanette Winterson and A S Byatt - but few know his real name, let alone anything further about him. Was he a magician? A scientist? Did he even exist? Paracelsus was indeed a real person, part alchemist, part theologian, part doctor, part father of modern chemistry. He was a charlatan and a genius, an adventurer and a model for later versions of the Faust legend, such as Goethe's or Thomas Mann's. His real life was as eventful and bizarre as an eighteenth century picaresque novel. Born in Switzerland in 1493, Parcelsus's education and his subsequent wanderings took him across almost of Europe, from Italy to the Arctic Circle, from Paris to the Black Sea, healing the sick, teaching in universities, preaching to the public, writing pamphlets, books, almanacs and texts, and everywhere furiously falling out with the authorities.Few men can have been banished, evicted and banned from as many universiities and towns. Yet few thinkers have maintained quite so many deep, loyal and intellectually productive friendships. As he put it himself: 'I am different'. Philip Ball tells his extaordinary story, putting him in the context of his times, the years of the Counter-Reformation and the Thirty Years' War, of the end of magic, the beginnings of science and the birth of modern medicine.

Formerly on the staff of Nature, Philip Ball is now a full-time writer. He lives in London. His books include the Science Book prizewinner Critical Mass, H20 and Bright Earth.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780434011346
ISBN 10	0434011347
Title	The Devil's Doctor
Author	Philip Ball
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cornerstone
Year published	2006-02-02
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable