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Mandrake from BL Sloane 4016, f. 56v
Summary
Detail of a miniature of a mandrake plant with a naked male body as the root. Image taken from f. 56v of Herbal. Written in Latin.
Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) was a physician and naturalist who played a crucial role in the development of British museums and libraries. Sloane was a fellow of the Royal Society and a physician to the royal family. He also traveled extensively and collected items from all over the world.
Sloane's collection was vast and eclectic, encompassing a wide range of subjects, including natural history, botany, ethnography, medicine, antiquities, and more. His manuscript collection included medieval and early modern texts, as well as materials from various cultures and time periods. His collection formed the basis for the British Museum (now part of the British Library), the Natural History Museum, and the British Museum Library (now part of the British Library).
Alchemy is an ancient practice that aimed to transform base metals into noble ones, find a universal panacea, and create an elixir of life. Alchemists used various tools and equipment to perform their experiments and achieve their goals. Here are some of the most common alchemical tools: 1. Alembic: A vessel used for distillation, consisting of a pot or flask with a long neck that leads to a condenser. 2. Mortar and pestle: Used to crush, grind, or mix substances. 3. Retort: A glass or metal vessel used for distillation, consisting of a bulbous base with a long neck that curves downward and then upward to a beak-shaped outlet. 4. Crucible: A heat-resistant container used to melt or fuse metals or other substances at high temperatures. 5. Athanor: A furnace used for alchemical operations, particularly slow heating and calcination. 6. Balneum Mariae: A double boiler used for heating substances indirectly. 7. Filtration apparatus: Used to separate solids from liquids, consisting of a funnel and filter paper. 8. Aludel: A glass or earthenware vessel used in distillation, typically tall and conical in shape. 9. Mandrake root: A plant root used in many alchemical and magical practices. 10. Philosopher's stone: A mythical substance that alchemists believed could turn base metals into gold and confer immortality. These are just a few of the many tools and materials that alchemists used in their experiments. Many of these tools and substances were also used in other areas of science and medicine, and some are still used today in various forms.
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