Thursday, October 15, 2015

We Need One Of These...!

Many things that folks used to believe in seem to be strange now, but were accepted as factual back in there day!

You have to wonder how many lives and man hours were spend in labs back in the olden days trying to come up with some of this stuff.

What was the philosopher’s stone?
OCTOBER 13, 2015 By Sarah Pruitt

An alchemist's workshop by David Teniers. (Credit: Imagno/Getty Images) 

From the Middle Ages to the late 17th-century, the so-called “philosopher’s stone” was the most sought-after goal in the world of alchemy, the medieval ancestor of chemistry. According to legend, the philosopher’s stone was a substance that could turn ordinary metals such as iron, tin, lead, zinc, nickel or copper into precious metals like gold and silver. It also acted as an elixir of life, with the power to cure illness, renew the properties of youth and even grant immortality to those who possessed it. The philosopher’s stone may not have been a stone at all, but a powder or other type of substance; it was variously known as “the tincture,” “the powder” or “materia prima.” In their quest to find it, alchemists examined countless substances in their laboratories, building a base of knowledge that would spawn the fields of chemistry, pharmacology and metallurgy.

Many of the Western world’s most brilliant minds searched for the philosopher’s stone over the centuries, including Roger Boyle, the father of modern chemistry, and even Sir Isaac Newton, whose secretive dabblings in alchemy are well known by now. Long before Newton, however, there was Nicolas Flamel, a French bookseller and notary who lived in Paris during the 14th and early 15th centuries. In 1382, Flamel claimed to have transformed lead into gold after decoding an ancient book of alchemy with the help of a Spanish scholar familiar with the mystic Hebrew texts known as the Kabbala. Whether this was true or not, the historical record shows that Flamel did come into considerable wealth around this time, and donated his riches to charity. Harry Potter fans might recognize the name, as J.K. Rowling incorporated Nicolas Flamel into the first book in her world-famous series. Originally titled “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in the United Kingdom, it was renamed “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for U.S. publication.

Might come in handy when I feel the need for a little boost in my get-along, ya know?

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

5 comments:

linda m said...

There sure are some mornings when I could use a special elixir to get me going. People have been searching for that special "something" forever. If it really did exist I think we would have found it by now. Maybe we have and we just don't know it; maybe it's been with us along and we just can't accept something that simple. Hmmmm, makes a person think. Ouch, that hurt - too early to think. hehe

Chickenmom said...

I could use one every morning, Linda! We sometimes think chemistry is a modern science and how wrong we would be! Who remembers having the tri-fold Gilbert chemistry set when you were a kid?

JO said...

Something else I have learned coming here for my morning coffee fix.

Stating to cloud up here but not to hot or humid yet.

Rob said...

I had to look up "notary", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notary. There is so much we don't know that this story is great!
It's not bad for the middle of October here in WA state...

HermitJim said...

Hey Linda...
I can't even begin to think straight before having my elixir...coffee!
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Phyllis...
I had one of those kits and boy< did I cook up some smelly stuff!
Thanks for coming by this morning!


Hey Jo...
Glad I could come up with something interesting for ya!
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by today!


Hey Rob...
I seem to learn something new (or else new to me) nearly every day while doing research for the post. Never gets old, actually!
Thanks for the visit today!