Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, Swiss physician, 1493–1541. See paracelsian method.
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Par·a·cel·sus (par″ə-selґsəs) [pseudonym of Philipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim] the “Luther of Medicine,†1493–1541, a Swiss physician and alchemist who defied the authority of Galen and Avicenna and condemned all medical teaching not based on experience. His alchemical researches led to the introduction of such substances as lead, sulfur, iron, and arsenic into pharmaceutical chemistry. Although he was far ahead of his time in many of his observations (e.g., on metabolic and on occupational diseases), much of his thinking was made obscure by his mysticism.Medical dictionary. 2011.