The Making of Modern Medicine - Paracelsus and the people's medicine

A major narrative history series exploring over 2,000 years of western medicine, written and presented by medical historian Andrew Cunningham. The 16th century witnessed the birth of a new kind of natural philosophy and medicine. Its chief advocate, Swiss medical reformer Paracelsus, rejected the traditional medicine of the Greeks because of its heathen roots in favour of both a spiritual and alchemical approach. This captivating figure and scourge of the medical establishment clashed with the authorities wherever he went yet, as we hear, became hailed for his innovative use of chemical drugs. The readers are David Rintoul, Peter Capaldi, Jason Watkins and Scott Handy.