BLOGPOST 4: Alchemy

I remember the first time i watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when i was in first year high school. That first movie in the Harry Potter series inspired me to save up my allowance in order to buy the books. After a few months of saving, I had my whole set of Harry Potter books. My favorite book is the first one which is the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and it is about Harry Potter, an 11 years old boy, who didn't know that he's a wizard until a half-giant named Hagrid handed him a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a shock for him at first because all his life, he thought he's just a normal boy. He didn't know that his parents were wizards and were killed by the most evil wizard named Voldemort. He went to Hogwarts and met Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and soon enough, they became bestfriends. The three of them found out that some very valuable is hidden inside the school and someone is going to try to steal it. They followed the culprit and only to find out that he's after the Sorcerer's Stone.

Out of curiosity, I researched about the Sorcerer's Stone and found an article entitled "The Golden Age Has Begun!" by Jay Weidner. 

 According to the article,The Sorcerer's Stone or also called as the Philosopher's Stone is not just a fictional substance found in the first Harry Potter books. The stone is a product of Alchemy. It is believed that the stone could turn any metal into pure gold and produce the elixir of life which will make anyone immortal. The alchemical lore speaks of men and women in the past who magically created an Elixir of Life that allowed them to live for hundreds of years. These alchemists also created a powerful substance they called the Philosopher's Stone which gave them long life, mental clarity and spiritual enlightenment.


In complementary with the Philosopher stone, i also found an article that talks about Alchemy. It is entitled "Lead to Gold? Elixir of Life? Alchemy Making a Comeback, Scientists Say" written by Philip Schewe. 

In the article, he stated that Alchemy, a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into pure gold, the discovery of a universal cure for diseases, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life, is making a come back in our modern world. Alchemy was said to be connected with witchcraft in the earlier time but now, it'll be seen as the modern chemistry. It is stated in the article that there were some famous alchemists way back in the medieval time whom engaged themselves in the work of alchemy. They are Nicholas Flamel, Robert Boyle, Paracelsus, the father of the modern physics, Isaac Newton and many others.

"alchemists could be considered as an early form of industrial researcher"

 I do agree in this statement said by Philip Schewe in his article because way back in the medieval times, an alchemist store is where people go to buy medicines. Only the alchemists were active in assaying metals, refining salts, making dyes and pigments, making glass and ceramics, artificial fertilizers, perfumes and cosmetics. They make money out of their works and discoveries and it also benefited a good cause for the people.

In conclusion, the quest for immortality has started way back in the medieval time. Alchemists have been seeking immortality in their own way: The Philosopher Stone. If they are ever going to get Alchemy back in our modern world, chances of achieving immortality will be higher.