Paracelsus

(1493 - 1541)

“A man who, in certain moments, gives evidence of remarkable penetration, and in others raves in the most pitiable way possible” is how historian of science Ferdinand Hoefer described Paracelsus. Born in 1493 in Switzerland as Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, the physicist and alchemist conducted research that established the role of chemistry in medicine. He was the first to determine that minerals in drinking water—particularly lead—could cause goiters.