NOTION OF CHEMICAL ANALYSIS. 123 



chemist's operations, as being changes which were 

 to be accounted for by the union and separation of 

 substantial elements, or, as they were sometimes 

 called, of hypostatical principles. The workmen 

 of this school acquired, no doubt, a considerable 

 acquaintance with the results of the kinds of pro- 

 cesses which they pursued; they applied their know- 

 ledge to the preparation of new medicines ; and 

 some of them, as Paracelsus and Van Helmont, at- 

 tained, in this way, to great fame and distinction : 

 but their merits, as regards theoretical chemistry, 

 consist only in a truer conception of the problem, 

 and of the mode of attempting its solution, than 

 their predecessors had entertained. 



This step is well marked by a word which, about 

 the time of which we speak, was introduced to 

 denote the chemist's employment. It was called 

 the Spagiric art, (often misspelt Spagyric,} from 

 two Greek words, (cnraw, ayeipw,) which mean, to 

 separate parts, and to unite them. These two pro- 

 cesses, or, in more modern language, analysis and 

 synthesis, constitute the whole business of the 

 chemist. We are not making a fanciful arrange- 

 ment, therefore, when we mark the recognition of 

 this object as a step in the progress of chemistry. 

 I now proceed to consider the manner in which 

 the conditions of this analysis and synthesis were 

 further developed. 



