Text.Reusner.1582-04.!1v/Translation

To the most honorable and highly learned Sir Martin Ruland, Doctor of Medicine, Palatinate physician and physicist in Lauingen on the Danube, my especially gracious lord and patron,

Most honorable and highly learned Doctor Ruland, the esteemed art of medicine is often finely and skillfully referred to by many outstanding people as Soror Sapientiae, a sister of wisdom. Just as wisdom keeps a person's mind in check, preventing them from living like an irrational wild animal or pig, so does medicine care for the human body with proper diet and remedies, ensuring one does not become ill and bedridden, and ultimately forced to endure great pain and taste the bitter fruit of death sooner than their appointed time. And when this happens, no one can be of service to mankind. For how can one feel well, how can one study, how can one think of the common good, in both spiritual and secular terms, if they are not in good health due to illness?

Therefore, the true dogmatic medical doctors have always been held in great esteem by princes and other potentates. For them to wisely govern their lands and people, they needed to be healthy, which would not have been possible without the counsel and foresight of learned doctors, to whom God has granted such grace and skill through much toil and effort.

However, the current times are rife with abuses and deceptions daily encountered in this art. There are many vagrant rogues, coachmen, and barbers who constantly travel from one city to another with their adulterated, foul-smelling theriacs and cursed salves, not only emptying the pockets and chests of the common folk but also endangering their lives, especially when they dare to cut and heal harelips, hernias, stones, and tumors. This is truly experimenting with death. The ointments and balms must be tested, even if it costs fifty peasants their lives.

Some pretentious barbers and surgeons follow suit, who, despite being completely ignorant of the indications for treatment that depend on a single cause of diseases, still administer to the sick pills, drinks, electuaries, and even raw antimony glass or mineral turpeth with great danger and severe reactions. They carelessly disregard whether they understand the ingredients of prescriptions, like the time a certain fine master entered an apothecary and, having read in an old book "Take powder of serpents," asked for powdered snakes.

But why say more about these matters? Often a hangman, knacker, or an old woman behind the stove can lead a great doctor into disgrace, stripping him of his title of CT., and shaming him before the people.

The ancient rhythms describe this rabble of charlatans as follows:

The leader of impostors is the Doctor, the standard-bearer the Anointer, The smoky blinder, gnawing through beasts with cauteries, The drenched washer, the sweating Mediastinus, the Burner, The harsh Marcher, the cruel Cutter, and the confident Alchemist. The dirty Razor, the fierce Exorcist, the treacherous Minister, The tasteless Woodcutter, the unskilled Apelles, The Greek Interpreter, the crude Executioner, and with recooked Potions prostituting broths, the twisting Burner Twenty in order, the vein-truncating vagabond.

And these verses:

They boast themselves as doctors, any Idiot, Priest, Jews, Monk, Actor, Barber, Old woman: Associations of street performers, Pharmacists, Plowmen, Miller, Baker, Stable boy, Smith.

When the mighty and highly esteemed man, Theophrastus Paracelsus, saw this, out of great zeal and love for his Germans, he discovered true Magic: through which, by acting or uniting natural virtues, we perform wondrous works in nature, and as Giovanni Pico della Mirandola writes, marry the world, leading us to the knowledge of supernatural things. Such Magi, (and I do not mean exorcists or other practitioners of black magic) were the wise men who came to the newborns near Bethlehem: Also the Kabbalists among the Hebrews, the Philosophers among the Greeks, the Gymnosophists among the Indians.

To ensure that pearls are not thrown before swine, the good Theophrastus invented a new magical way of writing, which not just any vagrant, barber, or apothecary's assistant, but only the Sons of Wisdom and true Magi, can grasp. As he himself has excused in his "Manuale de lapide philosophico medicinali" and in the "Liber vexationum".

This is why he often depicted things through allegories, enigmas, and various figures. That's why he invented such strange Kabbalistic and magical names, which may seem magical to many, as he calls the hidden power or virtue of Nature, from which all things grow, nourish, and increase, "Iliaster". Similarly, "Ares" refers to the specific nature, form, and shape given to each thing, making it distinguishable from others, as seen solely in herbs, each with its unique root, bloom, stem, and leaves. He describes four kinds: The first or "implanted Iliaster" is the purpose of life, or the human living balsam. The second or "prepared Iliaster" is the aimed and appointed goal of life, the living balsam we obtain from the elements, or elemental things. The third is the end of life, and the true balsam, which we draw from the quintessence of things. The fourth or "great Iliaster" is the rapture of the mind when a person is drawn into the other world. Thus, he also introduces "Archeus", a force that brings forth and separates all things from the Iliaster (according to Theophrastus, Iliaster is the primary material of all things, consisting of mercury, salt, and sulfur, as identified through spagyric analysis). In the microcosm, he spoke of a Balsam, Quintessence, Mummy, Manna, Arcanum, Elixir, Mercury: all of which are nothing more than an inner preserver of all bodies against decay and corruption, a tempered thing, a resolved salt, or a salt of juice, liquid salt in man, that protects against decay. Thus, he called precipitated mercury "Diatessaron"; hollow ulcers and fistulas "Dubelech"; a medicine made from white corals and amber "Dubelcoleph"; a goiter "Chœras, botium". And many more such things, which are not as easily understood as if they were Galenic prescriptions.

At times, with particular diligence (as Geber also did), the sequence in operations was reversed, especially when dealing with the mysteries of nature's arcana and discussing a masterpiece extracted from natural things without separation and without elemental preparation, by addition, into which such materials are drawn and therein contained. This is clearly seen in "Archidoxis," "Metamorphosis," "De Tinctura Philosophorum," "De Vexationibus," "De Praeparationibus," and in many other works.

So that the Magi and the Sons of Wisdom might partake in these high arts and serve mankind with them, they did not bring ingredients from the island of Socotra, such as aloe, paradise wood, rhubarb, cinnamon bark, cardamom, halcyon, emeralds, hyacinth, and the like, at great expense. Instead, they climbed mountains and long searched for unrefined, unappealing herbs instead of using a pen, they took a coal tong in hand and labored until they discovered the true Mummy Balsam for all diseases.

Such endeavors truly cost them much effort and labor; they had little time to sit on soft cushions. Therefore, it's no wonder that the Magi and Philosophers followed in the footsteps of their father Paracelsus in writing, presenting the masteries and arcana in magical and allegorical forms, with various figures, so that the diligent ones, who like to work with coals and alembics, might attain this treasure.

Thus, one must also understand this present Pandora of Francis Epimetheus, as well as the enigmatic and magical images and strange words, all known to the Sons of Wisdom, who are not deterred by Adarnech, Anfaha, Catrobil, Canze, Zingifur, etc.

However, since this art must now go begging, and due to Theophrastus (whom the Philosophers rightly call the Light of Nature), is in great disregard by almost everyone, I had to search for another faithful Epimetheus at the request and advice of the Typographer for this Pandora, which under its beautiful guise holds much that is difficult to approach if one does not know how to properly engage with it, so that Jason might obtain the Golden Fleece.

Among all, most honorable and highly learned Doctor Ruland, my especially gracious lord and patron, I could find no one more suitable than you, since you also have some knowledge of this art. For the great kindness you showed me when I was in Lauingen last year, I cannot praise enough, much less thank you for. The great friendship I have observed between you and the honorable and highly learned Sir Nicolaus Reusner, Doctor of both laws and Rector of the school, my dearly beloved cousin, also motivated me greatly.

Therefore, I earnestly and diligently request, dear Doctor, that you kindly and favorably accept this fair maiden Pandora and be her Epimetheus, so that she does not fall into the pit of murderers at this time when there is almost no faith, even among trusted friends. I also ask you to continue to support me and my medical studies as you have done until now.

If you do this, as I have no doubt you will, you will find me obliged for the rest of my life. I hereby commend you to God's protection. In Basel, September 1, 1582.

Hieronymus Reusner of Löwenberg, Doctor of Medicine.