Tria prima

"The doctrine of the four elements seems to have continued undisputed till the time of the alchemists. These men, better acquainted than the ancient philosophers with the analysis of bodies, became convinced of the inadequacy of that doctrine to explain all the phenomena which were presented to their view. Hence they substituted in its stead a theory of their own; namely, that all bodies are composed of three elements, salt, sulphur, and mercury, which they distinguished by the appellation of the tria prima. To these principles, which were embraced by succeeding writers, Paracelsus added two more, phlegm and caput mortuum."

"Alchemical theory was essentially static throughout the medieval period. ...Paracelsus was the herald of a new era, an era of . His contribution to alchemical theory lay in the addition to sulphur and mercury of a third principle, which he called salt. Materially this was recognised as the principle of uninflammability and fixidity. ...[T]he tria prima, or three hypostatical principles could be interpreted in either a material or a spiritual sense. In the words of Paracelsus himself: Know, then, that all the seven metals are born from a threefold matter... Mercury is the spirit, Sulphur is the soul, and Salt is the body... the soul... unites those two contraries, the body and spirit, and changes them into essence. ...similar to the material effect of the liquid menstruum, or Hermetic Stream, in uniting sophic sulphur and sophic mercury to produce the Philosphers Stone."

"Boyle attacked this hypothesis in his Sceptical Chemist, and several of his other publications: proving that under each of the terms salt, sulphur, mercury, phlegm, and earth are comprehended substances of very different properties; that all bodies are not composed of these principles; and that the principles themselves are not elements, but compounds."

"In conformity with this theory they maintained, that all bodies may be decomposed by means of fire into these three principles; the salt remains behind fixed, the sulphur takes fire, and the mercury flies off in the form of smoke. The phlegm and caput mortuum of Paracelsus were the water and earth of the ancient philosophers."

"At a still later date [post-16th century] it was argued that exact and natural sciences proceed by induction and deduction, and occult and spiritual sciences by analogy. Following out this line of thought the alchemists produced the following remarkable trilogy:—"

"Mercury, sulphur, and salt were not three matters, but one, derived from the ."

"The original matter, or , was called by various names—universal substance, seed, chaos. Although matter changes its form, it cannot be destroyed. ...In its nature the was assumed to be a liquid, containing everything in posse, but nothing in esse."

"Aristotle had considered metals to be formed by the combination of moist and dry exhalations, and in the Jabirian works these... are... vapours of mercury and sulphur. The cause of the different metals was the... quality of the sulphur... The term sulphur ...as a component of metals probably referred to a volatile combustible material to which no... substance corresponded exactly. Likewise mercury... may... have been... an approximation to the other volatile liquid component of metals. ...The notion that metals contained a combustible principle persisted, and... provided the inspiration for the phlogiston theory."

"The alchemists seem to have attached only a very indefinite meaning to the terms salt, sulphur, and mercury: since by salt they appear to have designated every thing which is fixed in the fire; all inflammable substances they denominated sulphur; and every substance which flies off without burning, mercury."

"[Paracelsus] arranged the several parts of man, his own universal elements, and the Aristotelian elements in triplets, thus :—"

"Van Helmont adds a... criticism to the Paracelsian theory. The tria prima play no role in disease, as they cannot be isolated from the living body. Paracelsus, he believes, was mistaken in assuming that the salt in urine was one of the tria prima, when in fact it is only salt water that has not yet been separated into its components. In fact, the tria prima cannot be obtained from living things at all; only by the destruction of the living principle... Hence diseases cannot be caused by the three principles... Surprisingly... he employs the tria prima in his theory... Van Helmont first postulates that water presents itself in four distinct states: ice, water, vapour and Gas... [and] contends that water is formed of atoms, which in turn are made up of the three principles (mercury, salt, and sulphur) in different spatial arrangements within the atom. These... give water both its resiliance and diversity of character."

"Tria Prima. The three elements of the alchemists, their salt, sulphur, and mercury: the first of which appears to have denoted whatever remained fixed in the fire; the second, whatever was inflammable; and the third, whatever was neither fixed nor inflammable, but rose in vapour without being burned."