Book cover of The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science

Book description

Philip Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim - known to later ages as Paracelsus - stands on the borderline between medieval and modern; a name that is familiar but a man who has been hard to perceive or understand. Contemporary of Luther, enemy of established medicine, scourge of the universities ('at…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Devil's Doctor as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Paracelsus was a man centuries ahead of his time.

The father of allopathic medicine, the father of toxicology, and an iconoclast who encouraged doctors to listen to women knowledgeable in healing arts and who encouraged women to understand the workings of their own bodies rather than blindly accepting the proclamations of male docs, he also came within a hair’s breadth of enunciating the principles of segregation of alleles and of dominance and recession – three centuries before Mendel. 

If you love The Devil's Doctor...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Devil's Doctor?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Devil's Doctor.

Browse books like The Devil's Doctor

Book cover of There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness: And Other Thoughts on Physics, Philosophy and the World
Book cover of The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision
Book cover of Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

186

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Devil's Doctor, you might also like...

Book cover of Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration by Mark Doherty,

I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee…

Book cover of AcClaim

AcClaim by Jean Thesquare,

AcClaim is a dark, high-society romance about Beatrix Winslow-Hale, a successful romance author who believes desire can be negotiated and controlled—until enigmatic billionaire Dorian Wolker crosses the line between consensual surrender and violation. Publicly humiliated and emotionally shattered, Beatrix turns to Manon de Rochemaure, her fiercely loyal best friend and…

5 book lists we think you will like!