University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
ALCHEMY: ANCIENT AND MODERN. Being a brief account of the alchemistic doctrines, and their relations, to mysticism on the one hand, and to recent discoveries in physical science on the other hand; together with some particulars regarding the lives and teachings of the most noted alchemists.

  
[frontispiece]
  
[title page]
  
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
  
PREFACE
  
CONTENTS
  
LIST OF PLATES

collapse section1. 
ALCHEMY: ANCIENT AND MODERN CHAPTER I THE MEANING OF ALCHEMY
 1. 
§ 1. The Aim of Alchemy.
 2. 
§ 2. The Transcendental Theory of Alchemy.
 3. 
§ 3. Failure of the Transcendental Theory.
 4. 
§ 4. The Qualifications of the Adept.
 5. 
§ 5. Alchemistic Language.
 6. 
§ 6. Alchemists of a Mystical Type.
 7. 
§ 7. The Meaning of Alchemy.
 8. 
§ 8. Opinions of other Writers.
 9. 
§ 9. The Basic Idea of Alchemy.
 10. 
§ 10. The Law of Analogy.
 11. 
§ 11. The Dual Nature of Alchemy.
 12. 
§ 12. "Body, Soul and Spirit".
 13. 
§ 13. Alchemy, Mysticism and Modern Science.
collapse section2. 
CHAPTER II THE THEORY OF PHYSICAL ALCHEMY
 14. 
§ 14. Supposed Proofs of Transmutation.
 15. 
§ 15. The Alchemistic Elements.
 16. 
§ 16. Aristotle's Views regarding the Elements.
 17. 
§ 17. The Sulphur-Mercury Theory.
 18. 
§ 18. The Sulphur-Mercury-Salt Theory.
 19. 
§ 19. Alchemistic Elements and Principles.
 20. 
§ 20. The Growth of the Metals.
 21. 
§ 21. Alchemy and Astrology.
 22. 
§ 22. Alchemistic View of the Nature of Gold.
 23. 
§ 23. The Philosopher's Stone.
 24. 
§ 24. The Nature of the Philosopher's Stone.
 25. 
§25. The Theory of Development.
 26. 
§ 26. The Powers of the Philosopher's Stone.
 27. 
§ 27. The Elixir of Life.
 28. 
§ 28. The Practical Methods of the Alchemists.
collapse section3. 
CHAPTER III THE ALCHEMISTS (A. BEFORE PARACELSUS)
 29. 
§ 29. Hermes Tismegistos.
 30. 
§ 30. The Smaragdine Table.
 31. 
§ 31. Zosimus of Panopolis.
 32. 
§ 32. Geber.
 33. 
§ 33. Other Arabian Alchemists.
 34. 
§ 34. Albertus Magnus.
 35. 
§ 35. Thomas Aquinas.
 36. 
§ 36. Roger Bacon.
 37. 
§ 37. Arnold de Villanova.
 38. 
§ 38. Raymond Lully.
 39. 
§ 39. Peter Bonus.
 40. 
§ 40. Nicolas Flamel.
 41. 
§ 41. "Basil Valentine" and "The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony".
 42. 
§ 42. Isaac of Holland.
 43. 
§ 43. Bernard Trévisan.
 44. 
§ 44. Sir George Ripley.
 45. 
§ 45. Thomas Norton.
collapse section4. 
CHAPTER IV THE ALCHEMISTS (continued) (B. PARACELSUS AND AFTER)
 46. 
§ 46. Paracelsus.
 47. 
§ 47. Views of Paracelsus.
 48. 
§ 48. Iatro-Chemistry.
 49. 
§ 49. The Rosicrucian Society.
 50. 
§ 50. Thomas Charnock.
 51. 
§ 51. Andreas Libavius.
 52. 
§ 52. Edward Kelley and John Dee.
 53. 
§ 53. Henry Khunrath.
 54. 
§ 54. Alexander Sethon and Michael Sendivogius.
 55. 
§ 55. Michael Maier.
 56. 
§ 56. Jacob Boehme.
 57. 
§ 57. John Baptist van Helmont.
 58. 
§ 58. Johann Rudolf Glauber.
 59. 
§ 59. Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes).
collapse section5. 
CHAPTER V THE OUTCOME OF ALCHEMY
 61. 
§ 61. Did the Alchemists achieve the "Magnum Opus"?.
 62. 
§ 62. The Testimony of van Helmont.
 63. 
§ 63. The Testimony of Helvetius.
 64. 
§ 64. Helvetius obtains the Philosopher's Stone.
 65. 
§ 65. Helvetius performs a Transmutation.
 66. 
§ 66. Helvetius's Gold Assayed.
 67. 
§ 67. Helvetius's Gold Further Tested.
 68. 
§ 68. The Genesis of Chemistry.
 69. 
§ 69. The Degeneracy of Alchemy.
 70. 
§ 70. "Count Cagliostro".
collapse section6. 
CHAPTER VI THE AGE OF MODERN CHEMISTRY
 71. 
§ 71. The Birth of Modern Chemistry.
 72. 
§ 72. The Phlogiston Theory.
 73. 
§ 73. Boyle and the Definition of an Element.
 74. 
§ 74. The Stoichiometric Laws.
 75. 
§ 75. Dalton's Atomic Theory.
 76. 
§ 76. The Determination of the Atomic Weights of the Elements.
 77. 
§ 77. Prout's Hypothesis.
 78. 
§ 78. The "Periodic Law".
 79. 
§ 79. The Corpuscular Theory of Matter.
 80. 
§ 80. Proof that the Electrons are not Matter.
 81. 
§ 81. The Electronic Theory of Matter.
 82. 
§ 82. The Etheric Theory of Matter.
 83. 
§ 83. Further Evidence of the Complexity of the Atoms.
 84. 
§ 84. Views of Wald and Ostwald.
collapse section7. 
CHAPTER VII MODERN ALCHEMY
 85. 
§ 85. "Modern Alchemy".
 86. 
§ 86. X-Ray's and Becquerel rays.
 87. 
§ 87. The Discovery of Radium.
 88. 
§ 88. Chemical Properties of Radium.
 89. 
§ 89. The Radioactivity of Radium.
 90. 
§ 90. The Disintegration of the Radium Atom.
 91. 
§ 91. Induced Radioactivity.
 92. 
§ 92. Properties of Uranium and Thorium.
 93. 
§ 93. The Radium Emanation.
 94. 
§ 94. The Production of Helium from Radium.
 95. 
§ 95. Nature of this Change.
 96. 
§ 96. Is this Change a true Transmutation?
 97. 
§ 97. The Production of Neon from Emanation.
 98. 
§ 98. Ramsay's Experiments on Copper.
 99. 
§ 99. Further Experiments on Radium and Copper.
 100. 
§ 100. Ramsay's Experiments on Thorium and allied Metals.
 101. 
§ 101. The Possibility of Making Gold
 102. 
§ 102. The Significance of "Allotropy."
 103. 
§ 103. Conclusion.

  
Printed in Great Britain by UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED WOKING AND LONDON
collapse section Collapse All | Expand All expand section
no previous section ALCHEMY: ANCIENT AND MODERN. Being a brief account of the alchemistic doctrines, and their relations, to mysticism on the one hand, and to recent discoveries in physical science on the other hand; together with some particulars regarding the lives and teachings of the most noted alchemists.
next section

ALCHEMY: ANCIENT AND MODERN

Being a brief account of the alchemistic doctrines, and their relations, to mysticism on the one hand, and to recent discoveries in physical science on the other hand; together with some particulars regarding the lives and teachings of the most noted alchemists.

H. STANLEY REDGROVE., B.Sc. (Lond.), F.C.S. Author of "On the Calculation of Thermo-Chemical Constants," "Matter, Spirit and the Cosmos," ETC. LONDON WILLIAM RIDER & SON, LTD. 8 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. 4 1922 First published . . . 1911 Second Edition . . . 1922
no previous section ALCHEMY: ANCIENT AND MODERN. Being a brief account of the alchemistic doctrines, and their relations, to mysticism on the one hand, and to recent discoveries in physical science on the other hand; together with some particulars regarding the lives and teachings of the most noted alchemists.
next section