1580-1644

Belgian Alchemist/Chemist and Physician

Jan Baptista van Helmont played an important role in the transition from classical and medieval ideas and practices to those of modern science, especially in the fields of chemistry and biology. He is considered the founder of scientific pathology and the father of biochemistry.

Helmont received the M. D. degree in 1609 at Louvain. The ideas of the Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493-1541) dominated the teaching of medicine at this time. Alchemy, a forerunner of chemistry, assumed the existence of a substance, known as the philosopher's stone, which could transform common metals into gold. Its practice combined mysticism (religious belief in reality beyond normal human perception) with pragmatic chemistry and astrology (belief that the stars and planets influence human action and health) to address various problems such as the prediction of events and the treatment of...