THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS It 



his mind to be fettered and imprisoned by the idle for- 

 malities that were connected with a scientific education 

 at that time. 



Here it may not be improper to add a few opinions con- 

 cerning Theophrastus Paracelsus from persons of repute : — 



Jor dames Brumes says : " The highest merit of Para- 

 celsus is, that he was the first to treat medicine as a 

 philosophy, and that he used magical remedies (hypnotism, 

 suggestion, &c.) in cases where the physical substances 

 were not sufficient." 



J. B. van Helmont : " Paracelsus was a forerunner of 

 the true medicine. He was sent by God, and endowed 

 with divine knowledge. He was an ornament for his 

 country, and all that has been said against him is not 

 worthy to be listened to." 



Opposed to this there are the opinions of certain 

 " authorities," whose memory does not longer exist, but 

 who may be quoted as specimens of learned ignorance : — 



Zihaniics : " Opera Paracelsi sunt cloaca, monstrosa, 

 jactantia rudiate, temeritate conflata." 



K. G. Neumann : "No one can take up a book of 

 Theophrastus without becoming convinced that the man 

 was insane." 



Very recently one medical authority, while acknow- 

 ledging publicly the high merits of Paracelsus, said that 

 the consequence of the promulgation of his doctrines was 

 the growth of a sickly mysticism. This may be true, 

 but Paracelsus cannot be blamed for the inability of 

 those who do not understand him ; we may just as well 

 make Jesus Christ responsible for the introduction of the 

 Inquisition and other follies that arose from a misinter- 

 pretation of what He taught. 



It is true that it is very difficult, if not altogether 

 impossible, to understand the writings of Paracelsus 

 without possessing a certain amount of spiritual insight 

 and intuition. The writings of Paracelsus deal especially 

 with metaphysical and not with corporeal things. Thus, 



