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PubMed1993

[The therapeutics of Paracelsus with reference to natural philosophy, alchemy and psychology].

The controversial reception of Paracelsus is still going on. The crucial question is whether he is a man of the Middle Ages or of modern times. It is not possible to give a simple answer. We have to study the writings of Paracelsus within the scientific and cultural context of the Renaissance. This period is characterized by a new concept of natural philosophy. The theory of signature tries to read or translate certain constellations within the natural environment as a secret code. The idea of a sympathetic correspondence between natural bodies or substances implies the possibility of magical healing. A wellknown example is the preparation of the 'weapon salve'. There are two realities of spiritual powers at the same time: demons from the outside of the human body and powers of the mind from its inside which influence the body functions. The natural philosophy of the Renaissance tries to 'naturalize' the demons as a complement of matter. Paracelsus reflects the ideas of his time. The human being has got two bodies: a visible one which belongs to earth and an invisible one which belongs to heaven. The 'philosopher' as a pharmacist and a doctor has to detect the invisible body corresponding with the celestial world (stars, planets) by analysing the manifest astrological signs. The alchemical preparation of remedies has to purify the specific healing substances ('arcana') from the crude material. The pharmacist and doctor just imitates artificially the quasi alchemical metabolic process of nature itself continuing and finishing it. Paracelsus' concept of imagination ('imaginatio') implies a psychosomatic model how far spiritual powers can influence the body functions. Paracelsus stresses radically the importance of suggestions as a source of illness. The synchronical concepts are confusing today. Knowledge and superstition, scientific rationality and irrational speculations come together and can hardly be separated. Nevertheless, at the end of the 20th century we may have more mental relations to this scenario than we are able to realize it at the moment.

Alchemy↗
PubMed2004

Stem cell plasticity, beyond alchemy.

Cell plasticity is a central issue in stem cell biology. Differentiated somatic nuclei have the flexibility to dedifferentiate when transferred into oocytes or when fused to pluripotent embryonic stem cells. Recent publications also claim that somatic stem cells can convert into developmentally unrelated cell types both in vivo and ex vivo without such drastic cell manipulations. Some of these claims are still controversial, making it difficult for us to determine the reality of somatic stem cell plasticity. Indeed, we have heard enough about the "potentials" of cell plasticity; how much do we know about mechanisms? A fundamental issue in current stem cell biology is to understand the mechanisms underlying cell plasticity. In this short review, we overview three research fields related to cell plasticity: nuclear transfer, transdifferentiation, and cell fusion, with an emphasis on studies of molecular mechanisms underlying cell plasticity.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

"Meta-analysis: statistical alchemy for the 21st century": discussion. A plea for a more balanced view of meta-analysis and systematic overviews of the effect of health care interventions.

The paper discusses some of the most common criticisms to meta-analysis presented by Professor Feinstein in this Conference. As many of the points raised in his contributions are not new, a critique to them is presented in the context of the type of contribution given by systematic reviews (meta-analysis) to the analysis of the effects of health care interventions. After discussing some terminological issues, the paper challenges Feinsteins' arguments indicating that meta-analysis is inherently faulted on four grounds: (a) reproducibility, (b) precision, (c) suitable extrapolation, (d) fair comparison. Each point is discussed providing examples drawn from the published literature with a view to indicate that--despite their current limitations--systematic reviews are a necessary step to synthesize information, orient clinical research and help produce practice guidelines.

Bias↗