We patch up bodies, replace organs, and cling to hope through pills and surgeries, but our greatest curse is our powerlessness in the eyes of death. In the realm of Advanced Medicine, some cancers, heart diseases, and organ failures bear the weight of two haunting words: Terminal Illness. However, it is also true that the worst form of terminal illness is life itself because it is destined to end with death. The grief of Mortality also struck the mental peace and curiosity of the great minds of medieval times, particularly the Alchemists.
Alchemy dates back to the 1st century B.C. in Egypt, where priests started practicing it under the influence of their cultural and religious perspectives of death, immortality, and mummification. The practice was once again rejuvenated under the reign of Muslim Arabs in Spain during The Golden Age of Spain.
The alchemists were optimistic visionaries who sought to bring a cure to the greatest curse of mortal beings- Death. Indeed, they were the forerunners of modern chemists. Alchemy revolved around two main motives: the transmutation of the base metals into noble metals such as gold or silver and the pursuit of the elusive elixir of life. These ambitious quests depended on a single legendary substance- The Philosopher’s Stone, believed to be able to transform lead into gold and bestow immortality upon its possessor. What really drove these men of pseudoscience was not merely the exaggerated tales about this mysterious object. Their sentimental and romantic attachment to it was also due to their faith in its divine nature. The history of this stone is said to date back to biblical times when Adam received the knowledge of it from God, after which it was possessed by Christian patriarchs. Alchemists used a variety of techniques, including distillation, calcination, and fermentation, to create elixirs and potions that they believed could lead them to the Philosopher's Stone.
Jabir ibn Hayyan, known as the Father of Chemistry, was an Islamic alchemist, philosopher, and physician who adopted the romantic idea of the existence of the Philosopher’s Stone and Elixir of Life. Though he had various accomplishments in applied chemistry, particularly the reactions between various acids and properties of many elements, his lesser-known work is based on his curiosity about Immortality. In his Book of Stones, he was able to cure people inflicted by terminal illnesses. However, various methodologies of making the elixirs and magical rituals have been heavily guarded through false clues to mislead the readers. Though he intended to invent a technique of extracting gold from base metals, the irony is that ibn Hayyan actually went on to develop a substance called Aqua Regia, a compound that can dissolve gold.
Another name that will likely grasp the mind of any Potterhead reading about the Philosopher’s Stone is Nicholas Flamel’s. Though J.K Rowling has turned him into a fictional character who lived to see his 665th Birthday, Nicholas was actually a muggle ( sorry, Potterheads) who resided in France in the 15th century. He practiced Alchemy and is alleged to have traveled to Santiago de Compostela, where he discovered the Philosopher's Stone. Le Trésor des Trésors ('The Treasure of the Treasures') is a 15th-century book with Alchemical illustrations and is attributed to Nicholas Flamel. The allure of living forever and the fear of being buried in time became great sources of inspiration for these alchemists. Interestingly, the 9th-century Taoist Alchemists did come up with a ‘formula for Immortality.’ It consisted of 15 parts charcoal with ten parts sulphur and 75 parts saltpetre, which caused their hands and faces to burn. The formula was later modified to be used as gunpowder. Tragically and Ironically, the quest to attain life ended with the invention of the Century’s best weapon for a painful death.
The knowledge of Alchemy is quite mysterious and intriguing in nature as there is no evidence regarding its applications for medicinal purposes and to cure patients from the dilemma of death. However, we can be certain of its advancements and contributions to modern chemistry. It provided motivation and inspired the alchemists to develop various applications of practical chemistry. Alchemists used all sorts of ingredients, from metals and minerals to organic substances such as blood, hair, and urine. They created strong acids to dissolve their materials, then repeatedly heated their mixtures at different temperatures. As a result, alchemists discovered considerable information about different substances and their properties, in addition to developing laboratory techniques and equipment that were used in medicine and the early chemical industry.
Works Cited from:
McLanahan, T. (2017) Alchemy, immortality and things that go boom in the night, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/the-nu-romantics/alchemy-immortality-and-things-that-go-boo m-in-the-night-369ba7786eab (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Nicolas Flamel: Alchemy and the legend of the philosopher’s stone - google arts & culture (no date) Google. Available at:
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/nicolas-flamel-alchemy-and-the-legend-of-t he-philosopher%E2%80%99s-stone-science-museum/jwXhqPSro7CIJQ?hl=en (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
(No date) Jabir ibn Hayyan: The precursor of Modern Chemistry. Available at: https://kalaharijournals.com/resources/SP-Vol.6_182.pdf (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
Fritche, M., Fritche, M. and Philip Anthony Briscoe on May 22 (2021) The Philosopher’s Stone & Elixir of Life, The Materials of History, Thought, and Art.
Available at: https://objectstudies.net/2021/11/19/the-philosophers-stone-elixir-of-life/ (Accessed: 19 October 2024).
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