Elixirs for times of plague and bullion shortage

Elixirs for times of plague and bullion shortage





The ‘Serpent of Arabia’, philosophical mercury, dissolves gold and silver to create an elixir — its own life-giving blood. (Leonard Smethley MS. Roll/Princeton University Library)

Alchemists take on plague and the economy

Fifteenth-century Europe ran low on bullion and faced a problem with plague. Curator and author Jennifer Rampling explores how alchemists sought to resolve the economic shortfall by transmuting base metals into gold and silver and pursued medicinal elixirs to heal the sick. All is revealed in the secretive allegorical language and obscure, fantastical imagery of the fabulous Ripley Scrolls.

Nature | 6 min read