Matt+King+-+Entry+3+-+(Due+Sept.+24)

Sir Issac Newton is most widely recognized as an outstanding physicist. However, many people do not know that the majority of Newton's work and writings were rooted in chymistry and alchemy. In fact, it wasn't until 1926, two centuries after his death, that we discovered that Newton studied alchemy; if, by "studied" we mean write over 100 manuscripts on the subject, all mysteriously labeled as, "not fit to be printed" (Newton and Alchemy, Newman 1).

To better understand why Newton may have studied chymistry, we should first try to understand what exactly it was that a chymist did. Chymists created inks and dyes, mineral acids, and distilled water to the point where it was able to safely be consumed. They also experimented with mineral based drugs, also known as iatrochemistry. Finally, chymists attempted to produce gold from less precious materials, commonly referred to as chrysopoeia. Newton studied all of these, and the way that he thinks about chymistry is interesting. For example, Newton hypothesized that minerals grew within the earth, much like plants grow in the soil. He felt that metals "generate and multiply within the earth" (Chymistry of Isaac Newton, Newman 2). This seems to contradict modern scientific knowledge, mailny the understanding that "matter can neither be made nor destroyed". His hypothesis seems somewhat simple-minded, and similar to the Aristotlian method of thinking, but experiments seemed to show this was true ( in reality, they were just misinterpreted), and, during the time period, his theory wouldn't seem outrageous.

It is also interesting to view replications of Newton's manuscripts. The first thing that one notices is that much of the text is crossed out, edited, or illegible. This gives us the feeling that Newton wrote these entries with great haste and excitement. We can guess that he suddenly had an idea pop into his head, and then finding proof against it mid-sentance, or perhaps he hadn't worded the sentance to his liking. While this doesn't exactly clarify why Newton delved into chymistry, it does make some sense that he wouldn't want these works published. He probably viewed them as a collection of his personal thoughts about the chemical world, and not as much as an absolute truth or something he would want to be recognized for thinking; he seems, in a way, embarrassed of his thoughts. His work with calculus and physics was well-explained and perfected, while his views on chymistry were not yet perfected or completely thought out. One can make the assumption that Newton still valued his research in chymistry, or else he would have gotten rid of all his manuscripts on the topic.