Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning/Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
Of Ancient and Modern Chymistry.
CHymistry, or the Art of Dividing Bodies by Fire, comes next to be considered. So great Things have thereby been discovered in Nature, that were unknown without it, that it may justly be esteemed as one of the chiefest Instruments whereby Real Knowledge has been advanced. It has been cultivated by three Sorts of Men, for very different Reasons; by Refiners, Alchemists, and Chymists, properly so called. The Refiner's Art, which is older than the Flood, is in Holy Scripture ascribed to Tubal-Cain, as its first Inventor (g).(g) Gen. 4. 22. The early Use of Gold and Silver, as Instruments of Exchange in Trade, in the Eastern Parts, shews, that Men very anciently knew how to separate Metals from their Dross, to a great Degree. And as frequent Purifications are necessary for that Work, so we find that the Necessity of them was long ago commonly known, since David compared a Righteous Man to Silver Seven Times purified in the Fire (h).(h) Psal. 12. 6. Yet that their Art was comparatively rude, is certain, because they did not know how to separate Gold from Silver; besides a very great many other Secrets relating to that Art, which could not be known before the Way of Making Aquæ Fortes: And their particular Qualities in corroding several sorts of Metals were discovered, and applied to these Purposes.
I have spoken already of Alchemy, or the Art of Making Gold; and so I shall pass on to the Chymist's Art, which consists in making such Analyses of Bodies by Fire, or other Agents, Chymically prepared, as may reduce them into more simple Substances, than those out of which they were before compounded. The Discoveries which have been hereby made are so very much later than those Ages which Sir William Temple contends for, that those who thought they had a great deal to say for the other Parts of Chymistry, do here give up the Controversie. Borrichius himself owns, that Hippocrates, Aristotle and Galen knew so little of Chymistry, that they could not so much as make Rose-water. Now, though he says this with a Design to disparage their Skill in Physick, when compared with the Egyptian, yet therein he destroys his own Hypothesis; because, in several Places of his Vindication of the Hermetical and Chymical Philosophy and Medicine, against Conringius's Book De Medicina Hermetica, he takes Pains to prove, that the Knowledge of these very Men was originally owing to the Egyptians. But the Thing speaks it self: The inward Use of Antimonial, Vitriolick, and Mercurial Preparations in Physick, was very little known before the Time of Basilius Valentinus, and Paracelsus: What was ancienter, was taken from the Arabs, who are Moderns against Sir William Temple. (i) (i) Borrichius de Ortu & Prog. Chem. Morhosius ad Langelottum.They may be looked upon as the first Inventors of Chymical Medicine: (i) They first extracted Vinous Spirits from Fermented Liquors: Not to mention Abundance of other Preparations, which Arnoldus de Villa Nova, Raymund Lully, his Scholar, and F. Bacon learned from them. I will not deny but some Chymical Experiments were very anciently known. Solomon (k)(k) Prov. 25. 20. hints at the Disagreement of Vinegar and Nitre; which, though not intelligible of common Nitre, yet, as Mr. Boyle (l)(l) Boyle's Producibleness of Chymical Principles. p. 30, 31. found by his own Experience, it is certainly true of Egyptian Nitre; which, as being a natural Alkali, will cause an Ebullition, when joined with any Acid Salt. The Property of Mercury to mix, or, as the Chymists speak, to Amalgamate with Gold, was known in Vitruvius's Time: Though by that one may perceive, that very few of its other Properties were then known; since Pliny, who mentions that Quality of Mercury, that it will Amalgamate with Gold, speaks of it as a singular Thing, in these Words, (m)(m) Omnia ei innatant praeter aurum; id unum ad se trahit. N. H. lib. xxxiii. cap. 6. Every Thing swims upon Quick-Silver but Gold; that only it draws to it self. Whereas now every Body knows that Mercury will Amalgamate with all Metals but Copper and Iron. And if the Ancients Skill in Minerals may be judged of by Pliny's Accounts, they (n) (n) Nec pondere aut facilitate materiæ prælatum est cæteris metallis, cum cedat per utrumque plumbo. N. H. lib. xxxiii. cap. 3.believed that Lead was heavier, and more ductile than Gold.
Some Passages likewise are produced by Borrichius, to prove that the Ancients understood something of Calcinations, and the Use of Lixiviate Salts: But these Things are very few, very imperfect, and occasional. Chymistry was not esteemed as a distinct Art; or the Analyses thereby produced, worthy a Philosopher's Notice; though the Industry of later Ages have found them to be so regular and remarkable, that many Persons have thought that the Constituent Principles of Mixed Bodies are no other Way so certainly to be found out. Hence have the Hypotheses of the Paracelsians taken their Beginning; who held, that Salt, Sulphur and Mercury were the active Principles of Composition of all Mixed Bodies. Hence several others have been led to believe, that the Primary Constituents of very many Bodies were Acid and Alkalizate Salts. Which Hypotheses, though liable to many Exceptions, as Mr. Boyle (o)(o) Sceptical Chymist, and Product. of Chymical Principles. has fully proved, are founded upon such a Variety of surprizing Experiments, that those who first started them were not so unadvised, as one that is wholly unacquainted with the Laboratories of the Chymists might, at first View, suspect. For it is certain, that five distinct and tolerably uniform Substances may be drawn from most Vegetable and Animal Substances, by Fire; namely, Phlegm, Fixed Salt, Oil, Earth, and Spirit, or Volatile Salt dissolved in Phlegm. So that here is a new Field of Knowledge, of which the Ancients had no sort of Notion.
The great and successful Change hereby made (p)(p) See Mr Boyle's Usefulness of Experimental Philosophy. in the Pharmaceutical Part of Physick, shews that these Philosophers by Fire have spent their Time to very good purpose. Those Physicians who reason upon Galenical Principles acknowledge, that in very many Cases, the Tinctures, Extracts, Spirits, Volatile Salts, and Rosins of Vegetables and Animals, are much more efficacious Remedies than the Galenical Preparations of those self-same Medicines. Nay, though they are not easily reconciled to Mineral Preparations, because the Ancients not knowing how to separate them from their grosser Faeces, durst very seldom apply them to any but Chirurgical Uses; yet they themselves are forced to own, that some Diseases are of so malignant a Nature, that they cannot be dispelled by milder Methods. The Use of Mercury in Venereal Distempers, is so great, and so certain, that if there be such a Thing as a Specifical Remedy in Nature, it may justly deserve that Title. The Unskilfulness of those who have prepared and administred Antimonial Medicines, has made them infamous with many Persons, though many admirable Cures have been, and are wrought by them, skilfully corrected, every Day. And it is well known, that the inward Use of Steel has been so successful, that in many Diseases, where the nicest Remedies seem requisite, whether the Constitution of the Patients, or the Nature of the Distempers, be considered, it is, without Fear, made use of; tho' its Medicinal Virtues, in these Cases, have been found out by Chymical Methods.
Upon the whole Matter, it is certain, that here is a new and gainful Acquisition made: The old Galenical Materia Medica is almost as well known, in all probability, as ever it was; since there are so great Numbers of Receipts preserved in the Writings of the old Physicians. The Industry of Modern Naturalists has, in most, at least, in all material Cases, clearly discovered what those Individual Remedies are, which are there described. So that whatsoever Enlargement is made, is a clear Addition; especially, since these Minerals and Metals were then as free and common as they are now. Besides, vast Numbers of Galenical Medicines, Chymically prepared, are less nauseous, and equally powerful; which is so great an Advantage to Physick, that it ought not to be over-looked.