This course takes alchemy as a starting point for exploring the history of medieval and early modern science and medicine. Alchemy’s goals ranged from transmuting metals to prolonging life. They also invoke broader themes: religious belief, artisanal practice, secrecy, medical doctrine, experimental philosophy, visual culture. This Spring, the University Library is hosting an exhibition on alchemical imagery that seeks to combine these themes. We use this opportunity to investigate the historical approaches that inform modern presentations of art and science: from displaying artefacts, to reconstructing experiments in a modern laboratory.
