Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Newton and Alchemy

1943; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 151; Issue: 3832 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/151417a0

1476-4687

History of Science and Medicine

NEWTON has been regarded by a number of writers as a credulous alchemist. In some notes on Newton's chemical philosophy written upon the occasion of the tercentenary of his birth, Dr. D. McKie (Phil. Mag., 33, 847 ; 1942) disputes this judgment. Newton's interest in chemistry probably began when he was lodging with Clark, the Grantham apothecary, while attending the King's School. He noted down interesting chemical recipes in his earliest note-books when he had a highly practical mind and great skill with his hands. Later on, in 1665 and in 1669, we have records that he bought chemical apparatus and materials. At this time, too, he experimented on the production of alloys that would take a high polish and would therefore be suitable for use as mirrors in the reflecting telescope that he had recently designed. In considering whether Newton should be regarded as a chemist or as an alchemist, Dr. McKie examines Newton's own chemical writings, from which “it would be difficult to conclude that he was 'a credulous alchemist'. Rather, he appears as a pioneer in the study of chemical attraction, as in fact he appeared to many of those who came immediately after him and who held his 'Queries' in such high regard during the eighteenth century”. As distinct from his own chemical writings, Newton copied out many long passages and made very extensive extracts from a large number of alchemical writings. Dr. McKie claims that too much significance has been put upon these extracts. Many of them were from rare books, and many alchemical books gave useful information on the properties of the metals and their compounds. Moreover, Newton copied out passages from books that were not alchemical. “We might also ask what man of science would care to be judged by what he had copied out of books. ”Newton's chemical thought set forth in his published writings shows an advance towards modern chemistry rather than a reversion to the already discredited pursuit of gold-making.