PART 1 - ALCHEMY

Scientists believe that the discovery of oxygen in the eighteenth century led to the birth of chemistry as we know it. Before that, many cultures had examined the properties of different materials without ever forming a coherent theory to link their qualities. These ancient studies were known as alchemy or transmutation. Scientists once believed that metals underwent a profound change as they oxidized, and these scientists hoped that the ultimate transmutation process would turn common metals into gold or silver. Alchemy was the name that was given to the idea of making gold from scratch. Modern chemistry has proven such a theory to be completely impossible, but for thousands of years it was thought to be true.

Many of the world's greatest minds believed in the possibility of making gold from base ingredients. In fact, it was such a widely held belief that King Henry IV of England encouraged all intelligent men in the country to study the subject so that the nation's great debts could be paid. And in later years, many other rulers also supported alchemists and their experiments. Others feared the repercussions of transmutation, and in the second century BCE China actually made the production of gold by alchemy an offense punishable by death, while the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the destruction of all Egyptian texts that advocated alchemical procedures.

Alchemists hard at work, trying to turn base metals into gold (with the aid of smoke, chamber pots, plungers, and a cast of thousands).

Diocletian and the Chinese authorities were wise to be wary, for the ancient Egyptian and Far Eastern peoples were then the world's authorities on alchemy. Some still revere mystical Eastern alchemical practices to this day, and the Egyptians are said to have spread their knowledge on to other peoples, particularly in the Arab world, where the seventh-century ruler King Khalid was said to be a master of the subject. Indeed, the word alchemy is thought to have been derived from the Arabic word for Egyptian art, al-Khem. In the following centuries it is said that the Sufi Islamic movement used alchemy as part of its religious teachings.
Alchemy has always had strong religious connections. Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas Aquinas were both experts on the subject. Aquinas even wrote a text asking if it was ethically correct to pass off gold created by alchemy as real gold. Another holy man, the fourteenth-century pontiff Pope John XXII, wrote a major work on the subject, and also wrote a great text damning fraudulent alchemists. When he died in 1334, he left behind large amounts of wealth, leading some to speculate that it had been created through alchemy. Even Martin Luther may have believed that alchemy was beneficial for affirming Church doctrines. Scientists Sir Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle were also sympathetic to alchemy.

Modern chemistry has proven that the alchemists’ goals were impossible, but our knowledge still grows in strange ways. The realm of unstable radioactive materials and the achievement of scientific transmutation through nuclear reactions have opened new avenues of thought. Another goal of alchemy was to find the elixir of life that would cure all ills and keep people young for eternity. Again, although modern science has dismissed these methods, experiments in the fields of DNA and cloning suggest that this idea is not too far removed from reality.
Other offshoots of this medical branch of alchemy are also considered valid by some people in our modern age. Homeopathy and aromatherapy, for example, are direct descendants of old alchemy studies, and acupuncture and hypnosis are also derived from alchemical work. Some modern alchemists still believe, however, that imbalances in the body cause illnesses, and many in the medical profession regard these people as “quacks.” The subject has also been linked with many New Age ideas and theories, which has not helped the public accept it as a genuine and serious area of interest. Many people continue to practice alchemy and maintain that it is a valid subject. Science tends to disagree, but our development and view of the world still owes a lot to this ancient art.

PEOPLE ARE STILL DOING THIS?

Alchemy is still practiced today, though most people (we hope!) are no longer trying to turn metal into gold. Today's practitioners are trying to find healing remedies, and using alchemical symbols as part of spiritual practices such as Kabbalah. Instead of trying to achieve eternal youth (like ancient alchemists in the East), they believe in being connected to the universe. Some of them believe that alchemy's principles can help improve modern science, especially in the study of cloning and DNA. Some even believe that alchemy can lead to time travel.