alchemy

alchemy, an art of ancient origins, can be interpreted as an enquiry into man's relationship with the cosmos and the will of the Creator, manifested as either a devotional philosophy transforming sinful man into perfect being (‘esoteric’), or attempted transmutation of base metals into gold or silver (‘exoteric’). The catalyst required was the elixir of life, tincture, or philosophers' stone, the search for which long obsessed men of all ranks.

Probably arising in Hellenistic Alexandria, alchemy (al‐kimia) was transmitted to Europe through Islamic culture. Whilst earlier Taoist alchemists had aimed principally for longevity, medieval western alchemists' objectives were gold‐making or creating superior medicines. Since the gold‐makers' skills rendered them vulnerable to avaricious magnates, circumspection was advisable, but public credulity encouraged conjuring and dishonesty. Practical alchemy, nevertheless, had much to offer medicine, giving rise to metallic rather than herbal remedies, much favoured by Paracelsus, and eventually to iatrochemistry.

Despite interest from John Dee, Kenelm Digby, the ‘Wizard’ 9th earl of Northumberland, Walter Ralegh, and even Charles II, alchemy received its death‐warrant in the mid‐17th cent. when Robert Boyle demolished the theory of the four ‘elements’.