THE RETURN OF ALCHEMY

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 106, 31 October 1936, Page 27

THE RETURN OF ALCHEMY

o. 8 A society for tne stu<ty of Alcnemy and Early Chemistry has o /\ been formed and is to start work in the autumn, says the o * * "Daily Telegraph." 8 Dr. J. ft. Partington, Professor of Chemistry at the University g of London, and Dr. F. Sherwood'Taylor, assistant _ lecturer in o chemistry, al the samq university, are to edit the society's journal. o In a narrow sense alchemy is the pretended art of 'turning g base metals into gold and silver. In a wide sense it has been g- called the chemistry of .the middle ages. . o Dr. Taylor explained that, although none of the recipes, S ancient or modern, for making gold, was worth.serious scicnlific g investigation^ it was felt that, the time had come for an effort to.find g out what the alchemists were driving at. Many were not impostors, o but had achieved eminence in other directions. It was difficult to g discover their aims. g "After the war," Dr. Taylor added, "General Ludendorff, the O ' German army commander, took a great interest in all forms of $ mysticism and employed a practising alchemist. All forms of § mysticism have, always attracted the Germans..,. O ' "Thomas Vaughan was one of the last of the reputable Engo lish alchemists, but he was about as much concerned with the g practice of chemistry in a laboratory as Freemasonry is with g building. O "Our main objects are the study of mystical alchemy and of o practical alchemy in its bearing on the history of chemistry. We g do not propose to have a museum of exhibits—few of such curioso ilies exist—but we shall have a library. S . "Incidentally, our investigations may also be the means of exo posing the fraudulent claims of impostors Avho have been atlractg ing attention of late."'