FEDERIK GRISOGONO I ALKEMIJA

Abstract

Frederico Grisogono’s 1958 collection of essays De modo collegiandi, prognosticandi et curandi febres: necnon de humana felicitate ac denique de fluxu et refluxu maris presents his views on alchemy. He acknowledges the traditional association between the sky and earth and the correlation between the seven planets and seven earthly metals. He attempted to empirically determine the position and the properties of these planets (the Sun and the Moon were also considered planets at the time). He clearly distinguished the good and the bad planets and those that agree (love) or disagree (hate) with one another. However, Grisogono abandons the traditional Renaissance viewpoint on planet position inasmuch as he claims that Venus (copper) and Jupiter (tin) need to change places. He discards alchemist practical teaching that base metals can be turned into noble metals such as gold and silver. His argument against it is based on then generally adopted sulphur-mercury metal structure theory.