text: Some of our understanding of alchemy and medicine goes back a long way, insofar as historians in the 19th century recognised the links, but they have been explored in more depth more recently. Leaving aside concepts in Arabic alchemy or Chinese alchemy, in western Europe one of the earliest to link alchemy and medicine was, Roger Bacon. He reckoned that the philosopher’s stone could extend life (Not make you immortal), because the stone was a perfect thing capable of perfecting you too, i.e. balancing your 4 humours which would enable you to live your maximum natural lifespan. Other people thought so too apart from Roger, but the next big kick along was from John of Rupescissa in the 1350’s who wrote about making the quintessence and how it was a great medicine. Now there were various ways of making quintessences, but they relied upon equipment that was not well known, such as a pelican, and the physical knowledge of how to do it all came from alchemists and physicians.