Vienna's medical–alchemical connection Significant Viennese mediaeval alchemical manuscripts have been brought to light for the first time. Health © Thinkstock A fascination with natural philosophy was common in the Late Mediaeval and early modern periods of history. Vienna, Austria, with its position in central Europe, natural resources and university was a prime location for alchemical discovery. The use of alchemy as a craft and theoretical system helped to create the pharmacy of today. Yet, despite their significance, historians of science have not studied the Viennese collections of alchemical manuscripts dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries. To ameliorate this, the EU-funded project 'Alchemical manuscripts in medical Vienna, 14th-17th century' (ALCHEMVIENNA) has written the history of alchemical exploration and its connection with medicine in Austria based on Viennese manuscripts. It was discovered that the several hundred manuscripts are more abundant in alchemical resources than previously thought. Among many of the findings was that ways of generating new information about substances and chemical products took place primarily in the 15th and 16th centuries. Additionally, two 16th century medical doctors' manuscripts and involvements with alchemy were analysed. Results of the project have been presented at academic conferences as well as disseminated to the general public via various media channels. The work highlighted the need for catalogues in the Austrian National Library collection to be re-evaluated to include the texts not recorded thus far. It also provides material for future study for researchers in the fields of history of science and intellectual and institutional history. Keywords Medical, mediaeval, alchemical manuscripts, Vienna, alchemy, chemical products, medical doctors, history of science
