[Paracelsus in opinions of the 18th century]

Paracelsus was a topic of intense discussion during the eighteenth century in the encyclopedias, works of philosophy, natural science and medicine of this time. His contributions to chemistry and the chemical foundation of medicine were acknowledge as well as his fight against the ancient humoral pathology and specific achievements in surgery and drug therapy. In contrast, his concept of science and use of language were rejected. The gap between his expressed moral standards and his own behavior was criticized. The contemporary circumstances must be taken into consideration.