Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
177
The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry
·
M. M. Pattison Muir
105
Lead,
tin,
iron,
or
copper
is
calcined.
The
prominent
and
striking
feature
of
these
events
is
the
disappearance
of
the
metal,
and
the
formation
of
something
very
unlike
it.
But
the
original
metal
is
restored
by
a
second
process,
which
is
like
the
first
because
it
also
is
a
calcination,
but
seems
to
differ
from
the
first
operation
in
that
the
burnt
metal
is
calcined
with
another
substance,
with
grains
of
wheat
or
powdered
charcoal.
Led
thereto
by
their
theory
that
destruction
must
precede
re-vivification,
death
must
come
before
resurrection,
the
alchemists
confined
their
attention
to
one
feature
common
to
all
calcinations
of
metals,
and
gave
a
superficial
description
of
these
occurrences
by
classing
them
together
as
processes
of
mortification.
Sulphur,
wood,
wax,
oil,
and
many
other
things
are
easily
burned:
the
alchemists
said,
these
things
also
undergo
mortification,
they
too
are
killed;
but,
as
"man
can
restore
that
which
man
has
destroyed,"
it
must
be
possible
to
restore
to
life
the
thing
which
has
been
mortified.
The
burnt
sulphur,
wood,
wax,
or
oil,
is
not
really
dead,
the
alchemists
argued;
to
use
the
allegory
of
Paracelsus,
they
are
like
young
lions
which
are
born
dead,
and
are
brought
to
life
by
the
roaring
of
their
parents:
if
we
make
a
sufficiently
loud
noise,
if
we
use
the
proper
means,
we
shall
bring
life
into
what
seems
to
be
dead
material.
As
it
is
the
roaring
of
the
parents
of
the
young
lions
which
alone
can
cause
the
still-born
cubs
to
live,
so
it
is
only
by
the
spiritual
agency
of
life,
proceeded
the
alchemical
argument,
that
life
can
be
brought
into
the
mortified
sulphur,
wood,
wax,
and
oil.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
