# Paracelsus

Swiss Renaissance physician and alchemist who pioneered observation-based medicine and toxicology, influencing early modern medical practice.

**Lived:** 1493–1541 (b. Einsiedeln, Schwyz, Switzerland)
**Nationality:** Swiss
**Training:** Medical doctorate from University of Ferrara (1515 or 1516); education in botany, medicine, mineralogy, mining, and natural philosophy from his father; humanistic and theological education from local clerics and St. Paul's Abbey
**Affiliation:** Renaissance physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher; founder of Paracelsianism

## Key works

- *Elf Traktat*
- *Volumen medicinae Paramirum*
- *Die große Wundarzney* (1536)
- *Von der Bergsucht oder Bergkranckheiten* (1534)
- *Prognosticatio Ad Vigesimum Quartum annum duratura* (1536)
- *Astronomia magna* (1571)