Chemistry and Medical Debate: Van Helmont to Boerhaave

Debus (history of science and medicine, University of Chicago, emeritus) discusses the contribution of the chemists in the scientific revolution, especially as it affected the study and practice of medicine. The controversy between the chemists and the mechanists is highlighted, with attention to its implications for contemporary theory. Key figures are also discussed, including Helmont, Sylvius, Willis, and Boyle. (Portraits of these men are also included.) Distributed by Watson Publishing International.

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