Alchemy

Alchemy was a system of thinking about nature that preceded and contributed to the development of the modern science of chemistry. It was popular in ancient China, Persia, and western Europe throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages. A combination of philosophy, metallurgical arts, and magic, alchemy was based on a world view postulating an integral correspondence between the microcosm and the macrocosm—the smallest and largest parts of the universe. Its objectives were to find ways of accelerating the rates at which metals were thought to "grow" within the earth in their development toward perfection (gold) and of accomplishing a similar perfection in humans by achieving eternal life.