The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.
ParacelsusRead
Medicine is not only a science; it is also an art. It does not consist of compounding pills and plasters; it deals with the very processes of life, which must be understood before they may be guided.
Interpretation
Medicine combines scientific knowledge with artistic insight to understand and guide life processes.
This quote by Paracelsus emphasizes that medicine transcends the mere scientific aspects of treating illness. It is an intricate discipline that requires a deep understanding of life itself, blending both scientific and artistic approaches to effectively heal and care for individuals. The quote conveys the idea that to practice medicine well, one must appreciate the complexities of life rather than just focus on technical skills alone.
In practice
In a medical conference, discussing how integrating artistic perspectives can enhance patient care.
The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.
Know that the philosopher has power over the stars, and not the stars over him.
The human body is vapor materialized by sunshine mixed with the life of the stars.
All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a thing poison.
It should be forbidden and severely punished to remove cancer by cutting, burning, cautery, and other fiendish tortures. It is from nature that the disease comes, and from nature comes the cure, not from physicians.
Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often.
New knowledge has led to the recognition in the theory of evolution of more than a hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this theory has been progressively accepted by researchers, following a series of discoveries in various fields of knowledge. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of work that was conducted independently is in itself a significant argument in favor of this theory.
All the effects of Nature are only the mathematical consequences of a small number of immutable laws.
If you go into science, I think you better go in with a dream that maybe you, too, will get a Nobel Prize. It's not that I went in and I thought I was very bright and I was going to get one, but I'll confess, you know, I knew what it was.
If you represent the Earth's lifetime by a single year, say from January when it was made to December, the 21st-century would be a quarter of a second in June - a tiny fraction of the year. But even in this concertinaed cosmic perspective, our century is very, very special: the first when humans can change themselves and their home planet.
We live on a minute island of known things. Our undiminished wonder at the mystery which surrounds us is what makes us human. In science fiction we can approach that mystery, not in small, everyday symbols, but in bigger ones of space and time.
When I realized, in 1978, that Lucy did represent a new species of human ancestor, and that I had an opportunity to name this new species, I realized this was a revolutionary step in understanding human origins.
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