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Thomas Wijck: Alchemist
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Thomas Wijck: Alchemist
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Thomas Wijck: Alchemist
Thomas Wijck: Alchemist Alchemist, oil on panel by Thomas Wijck, 17th century.

alchemy

pseudoscience
Written by
Robert P. Multhauf
Senior Historian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Author of The Origins of Chemistry; Neptune's Gift.
Robert P. MulthaufAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

alchemy, a form of speculative thought that, among other aims, tried to transform base metals such as lead or copper into silver or gold and to discover a cure for disease and a way of extending life. Alchemy was the name given in Latin Europe in the 12th century to an aspect of thought that corresponds to astrology, which is apparently an older tradition. Both represent attempts to discover the relationship of man to the...

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