Here I present: Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644), Ortus Medicinae (“Origins of Medicine”) 1648.
INTRODUCTION.
Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644) made significant contributions to the fields of chemistry and biology, including coining the word “gas“ and identifying carbon dioxide. He is considered the “father of biochemistry” for his chemical analysis of physiological processes, such as using chemical principles to explain digestion. He also performed early, careful experiments to understand plant growth, with his famous “willow tree experiment” suggesting that plants gained weight from water.
Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580–1644) was the founder of pneumatic chemistry and the first scientist to introduce the word “gas“ into the scientific vocabulary.
Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644) is most famous for his “willow tree experiment”, which led him to conclude that plants grow (primarily) from water, not soil.
Van Helmont believed physiological processes followed chemical reactions, not mystical forces. EXAMPLES:
1. Digestion as a chemical process involving “ferments” (early conception of “enzymes”).
2. Metabolism as material transformation, not just a spiritual force.
Van Helmont conducted experiments involving the nature of matter, which included observations on ice, and made contributions to the development of the thermoscope. “Willow Tree Experiment” published posthumously in his 1648 work Ortus Medicina (“Origins of Medicine”) is considered a milestone in the history of science.
The willow tree is commonly believed to have many medicinal properties, and was used in many ancient tinctures to treat fevers and aches. Salicylic acid, like aspirin, is a chemical derivative of salicin, which is found in the bark of willow trees.
“Willow tree aspirin” is a common nickname for willow bark extract or supplements, as willow bark contains the natural compound salicin, which the body converts into salicylic acid, a substance similar to the active ingredient in synthetic aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). For the compound salicin the canonical SMILES’ representation is C1=CC=C(C(=C1)CO)OC2C(C(C(C(O2)CO)O)O)O. This is a valid ways to represent the chemical structure of salicin, which is a natural anti-inflammatory compound found in willow tree bark.
