This chapter discusses Jan Baptist Van Helmont’s (1579-1644) views on poison inlight of his medical alchemy. First, it argues that his approach was fundamentallyinfluenced by the theories of ‘universal poison’ and ‘potent poison’ developed byTheophrastus von Hohenheim, called Paracelsus (1493-1541). Paracelsus’s ideas supportedVan Helmont’s own views that medical alchemy was the only key to curing all diseases andpoisons. At the same time, Van Helmont sought to set these concepts more clearly in aChristian framework, and also used them to launch a scathing attack on Galenic medicineand practices.

The Theory and Practice of Alchemy Part One. In his Key to Alchemy, Samuel Norton divides into fourteen parts the processes or states through which the alchemical substances pass from the time they are first placed in the test tube until ready as medicine for plants, minerals, or men. The preparation of the alcahest or universal. Definition of alkahest in the Definitions.net dictionary. Meaning of alkahest. What does alkahest mean? Information and translations of alkahest in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.

Moreover, Van Helmont used poison theory to advance his belief in theexistence of a universal solvent Alkahest that could extract medical essences out of anybeing. The Alkahest could then be used to construct an all-powerful universal medicinethat proved God’s special providence to mankind.Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.