Paracelsus Burns Galen

1527

The brash Swiss physician Paracelsus, newly appointed professor at Basel, publicly burned the medical works of Galen and Avicenna in a bonfire and lectured in rude German instead of Latin. He insisted that mineral remedies and observation, not ancient authority, would heal the sick. The medical faculty was apoplectic. His emphasis on chemical remedies and patient observation anticipated modern pharmacology, though his belligerent personality limited his influence.