ФИЛОСОФСКИЙ КАМЕНЬ

Philosopher's Stone

Stone of wisdom, elixir, tincture. According to ideas prevailing in the Middle Ages, a substance supposedly capable of converting base metals into gold and silver, of curing all diseases, and rejuvenating people. Practical observations of different transmutations of some substances into others and also natural philosophic surmises about the unity of matter were the basis of these ideas. In the Middle Ages they acquired a distinctly religious mystic tinge. The development of scientific chemistry exploded the idea of Philosopher's Stone. At present the possibility of transmutation of chemical elements has been scientifically proved.