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Book Review
| The Devil's Doctor. Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science. By Philip Ball (William Heinemann, London, 2006, hb, ISBN 0-434-01134-7) xi + 435pp.
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| This is the second recent book on Paracelsus (see a review of Paracelsus. The man who defied medicine in Health and History 6, no. 2, 2004). Both works draw on the same resources but with a different outlook. Ball has produced a well researched and fully referenced review of the English literature on Paracelsus (Theophrastus von Hohenheim, 1493–1541) and of the philosophy of his time. He extends this to a short but useful summary of the legacy of Paracelsus and his influence on medicine and chemistry through to the time of Lavoisier. |
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Ball does not, however, address the main problem of commentators on Paracelsus, that is, distinguishing historical fact from the myths and legends that have grown up around the man. This is despite the statement on the cover flap which proclaims that '[m]yths about him ... have proved far more lasting than his actual story.' Ball is in danger of perpetuating this problem. It is compounded by the vague and often ambiguous writings of the sage himself. The difficulty is apparent immediately upon opening the book, for the fly papers show the extensive supposed travels of Paracelsus as based on the dubious research of Basilio de Telepnef. To give some credit to Ball, however, although the map is baldly titled Travels of Paracelsus, the surrounding text does have some reservations. The terms, 'probably' and 'generally believed' are used to qualify many of his statements on these travels. Also, the text, which is mostly well supported by references, is bare of citations in describing these travels except for assertions by Paracelsus himself. During his early travels, for example, Paracelsus is said to have acted as a surgeon with the various armies involved in the numerous wars around Europe. However, the evidence for this is scanty. One of the arguments used to support this claim in Ball's book is Paracelsus' authorship of the Great Surgery Book. This book describes the author's philosophy of the treatment and healing of wounds but is very short of practical advice and technical directions. By contrast, the Field Book of Surgery by Hans von Gersdorff, who was a military surgeon, is full of details and methods. One wonders if Paracelsus had a real background in military surgery. Ball's book certainly would have benefited from an exploration of such a question. |
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Ball relies very much on the statements and comments of others on his subject without going to Paracelsus' own writings and applying a critical analysis to test his statements. Similarly, the reader is not given any details, culled from Paracelsus' writings, as to the specifics of his medical treatments or his alchemical experiments. Because of this, we are provided with little more than a rather surface perspective. There is no mention of the recent forensic work which suggests that Paracelsus suffered from congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disease that would explain his physical appearance, his lack of sexual drive and consequently his erratic emotional state. |
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The supposed transmutation of base metals to gold and the Philosophers' Stone are extensively covered, but I believe that Ball could have better represented Paracelsus' beliefs on the general topic. He was using the purification of various materials as a means of advancing towards the core secret of matter. Thus the distillation of volatile essences from plants or the recovery of metals from ores were both examples of movement towards the ultimate purity, at which point the universe would be explicable. The fact that gold might be produced was a useful side issue for Paracelsus, distinct from the goals of the more worldly seekers of wealth. |
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Ball does a very good job in describing the general philosophical environment concerning medicine at the time of Paracelsus. He discusses the various conflicting ideas widely, justifying the sub-title of his book. He is a clear and fluent author, providing a text that is easy to read and engaging for the reader. |
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The title of the book is quite extraordinarily inappropriate. Paracelsus was never the devil's doctor; his whole philosophy is suffused with his individualistic version of Christianity. Certainly he believed in magic, as did everyone else in his time, but it was white, not black, magic. In his text, Ball never indicates an involvement of his subject in devilish practices except for quoting the comments of Erastus and his followers in their attempts to blackguard Paracelsus. In fact, he states how 'Paracelsus sought to embed this "new" medicine within a comprehensive system of (devoutly Christian) natural philosophy' (p. 7). Ball also quotes from the doctor's writings such phrases as: 'For Holy Scripture represents the beginning of all philosophies and natural science.' Not the words of the devil's advocate. It seems to me that such a commanding title will predispose the reader to a particular expectation which will remain unfulfilled during the reading of the book, and thus engender a reaction against it. We can only conclude that the title of the book was imposed by an editor keen to raise its profile as a popular eyecatcher. This indicates some uncertainty as to the intended market for the book. Ball's thorough research and referencing indicates an academic destination whereas the title and the more racy passages of text indicate a general readership. |
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The book is well produced, with References, Bibliography and Index. There are major errors in the listing of the illustrations. Two of the early illustrations are assigned to the wrong pages and the list cuts out altogether after page 297, although several pictures follow. The ultimate page of the list must be missing. |
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What does this book offer to the reader? It gives a highly readable account of the influence of Paracelsus upon the medical philosophy of the time, referencing an extensive collection of the English language literature on the subject. It is less successful in describing the man himself, as Ball does not apply a sufficiently critical analysis of the myths and legends surrounding him. It is as if we are shown the creature unshorn, whereas removal of the fleece of stories and fables is necessary to see whether we have a sheep or a goat. Nevertheless, the book is a starting point for the reader of more academic interest who wishes for an introduction to this enigmatic person, provided a critical approach is maintained. |
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| HUGH CRONE
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| UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE |
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