On Popular Blufions. 47 



Scribonius, Camerarius*, and a croud of others. 

 Let us fee what phyficians thought of this con- 

 troverfy. 



Paracelfus allowed that difeafcs may be pro- 

 duced by witchcrafr, that is, by a demon, in 

 compaft with a human beingf; but he thought 

 the devil had more to do with the art of medi- 

 cine itfelf, than with its objedls. He imagined 

 that this cunning adverfary endeavoured to ruin 

 medical praflice, by raifing up quacks, pub- 

 lilhing erroneous books, and fetting up igno- 

 rant apothecaries, that he might difcredit the 

 faculty, and bring patients to place their confi- 

 dence in his own tools. Medicinam enim intaminatam 

 diabolus non finity Jed fufcitat pJeudomedicoSi profert 

 erroneos libroSy imperitos PharmacopceoSy Cs'c. hoc finCy 

 ut naturalibus mediisjua laus derogetuv^. 



Van Helmont alfo believed that the devil 

 produced difeafes, but that he operated on the 

 magnetic fpirit, which fhall be confidered elfe- 

 where. He thought witches employed natural 

 means ; Jaga operantur virtute naturali\\. 



Paracelfus was loudly blamed for permitting 

 magical remedies to be ufed, where the difeafe was 

 imagined to be demoniacal. He was called a 

 forcerer. So difficult was it for a writer at that 



* Delrio. and Burton's Anat. of Melahch. 

 t De Sagis. J Ver, Influent, Rer. 



II On. Medicin. 479. 



time 



