Alchemists
Alchemists
In Brief
Bloom has good reason for associating "chemists" like Sweny with the "Quest
for the philosopher's stone. The alchemists." These medieval
and early modern experimenters were the precursors of modern
chemists, and the elusive "stone" they sought was conceived
not only as a spiritual boon and a source of wealth but also
as a medical panacea.
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Modern chemistry recombines atomic elements to make new
molecules. Alchemy sought to change presumedly elemental
substances—the earth, air, water, and fire of the ancients,
and in later times things like sulphur, mercury, and salt—into
new substances. The highest goal of alchemists was, by heating
and distilling such substances according to precise steps, to
isolate something called the "philosophers' stone."
Once concocted, the stone was thought to be capable of
turning base metals into silver and gold. It was also
sometimes viewed as a source of mystical enlightenment. Most
relevant to Bloom's reverie, it was often said to be capable
of curing illness, reversing the aging process, and bestowing
immortality. Arab alchemists called the stone (or something
closely associated with it) al-iksir, giving rise to
centuries of western searching for "the elixir of life." Many
such cure-alls, the ingredients of which were trade secrets,
were still being sold in pharmacies in 1904. Bloom is no doubt
skeptical. In Hades he thinks of one popular cure-all:
"Tiptop position for a pub. Expect we’ll pull up here on the
way back to drink his health. Pass round the consolation. Elixir
of life."
