74 PARACELSUS 



dial fluid, and as the Spirit of God in the beginning of 

 creation moved upon the surface of the waters (the soul) 

 likewise the human spirit, being diffused through the 

 whole of man's organism, moves upon the (seminal) fluid, 

 out of which the human form is developed. That Spirit 

 of God is the vivifying and spiritualising element in the 

 process of procreation. But the human foetus passes in 

 the uterus through an animal-like existence, receiving the 

 true spirit at a later period. It is then like a fish in the 

 water, and brings an animal nature into the world." 



The fact of the semen being formed of all parts of 

 the body in equal proportion explains why persons are 

 born in whom certain organs may be missing. If for 

 some cause one part or another of the human organism 

 does not participate in the formation of semen, its essence 

 will be missing in the constitution of the seminal fluid, 

 and cannot reproduce the corresponding part in the 

 matrix.^ If for some cause a part of the father's 

 organism produces a double quantity of semen, a child 

 will be born having supernumerary members. 



" Whatever the mother imagines and obtains, the seed 

 (spirit) of that thing is attracted to the matrix, and thereof 

 grows the child ; but the assertions of those astronomers 

 who claim that the stars make a man are erroneous, and 

 we will look upon such claims as a fable and joke to 

 which one may listen during an idle hour. There are 

 many fools in the world, and each one has his own 

 hobby " (Gehaerung des Menschen), 



As the imagination of man is productive of semen, 

 likewise the imagination of the mother exerts a great 



1 It might be objected, that if this were true, a man having lost a leg 

 could beget only one-legged children ; but such a superficial reasoning 

 would be caused by a misunderstanding of the true nature of man. The 

 invisible man is the essential man, the physical body only the outward 

 expression. If the physical body loses a limb, it does not follow that the 

 soul-body loses it likewise ; but if there is a congenital malformation, such 

 as supernumerary fingers or toes, they may be reproduced in the child ; 

 because nature has a tendency to acquire habits and to repeat them. 



