Arthur Dee facts for kids
Arthur Dee (born July 13, 1579 – died September or October 1651) was a doctor and an alchemist. He worked as a physician for two important rulers: first for Tsar Michael I of Russia and later for King Charles I of England.
Early Life and Education
Arthur Dee was the oldest son of John Dee, a famous mathematician and alchemist. His mother was Jane Fromond. Arthur was born in Mortlake, England, on July 13, 1579.
When he was a child, Arthur traveled with his father through countries like Germany, Poland, and Bohemia. After returning to England, he went to Westminster School starting in 1592. He studied there under teachers like Edward Grant and Camden. Some records suggest he might have also studied at Oxford University, but he didn't earn a degree there.
Becoming a Doctor
Arthur Dee decided to become a doctor, which was called "physic" back then. He moved to London and tried to start his practice. He even put up a list of medicines outside his house, claiming they could cure many illnesses.
The College of Physicians, who oversaw doctors, called him in to question him. We don't know what happened after that meeting. Later, Arthur moved to Manchester and married Isabella Prestwych.
Through a recommendation from King James I, Arthur Dee was chosen to be one of the doctors for Tsar Michael I of Russia. He lived in Russia, mostly in Moscow, for about 14 years. During his time there, he wrote a book about alchemy called Fasciculus Chemicus.
After his wife passed away in 1637, Arthur Dee returned to England. He then became a physician to King Charles I. When he retired, Arthur Dee moved to Norwich. There, he became good friends with Sir Thomas Browne, another famous writer and thinker of that time.
The Philosopher's Stone
In 2018, a student named Megan Piorko found something very exciting in one of Arthur Dee's old notebooks. It was a secret, coded message that seemed to be a recipe for the philosopher's stone. This mythical stone was believed to turn regular metals into gold or silver and even grant immortality (living forever).
Megan Piorko and another scholar, Sarah Lang, shared the full coded text in 2021. Later that year, a mathematician named Richard Bean was able to figure out the secret code.
The decoded message describes how to process an alchemical "egg" in a special furnace called an athanor. This furnace burned slowly. The recipe then says to wait for three important alchemical stages to happen: black, white, and red. If all the steps are followed correctly, the text promises: "you will have a truly gold-making elixir by whose benevolence all the misery of poverty is put to flight and those who suffer from any illness will be restored to health."
Later Life and Legacy
Arthur Dee had a large family, with seven sons and six daughters. He passed away in September or October 1651 and was buried in St George's Church, Tombland, Norwich. He left most of his alchemical writings and books to his friend, Sir Thomas Browne.
In the early 1900s, a man named Rasputin took some of Arthur Dee's Russian translations of his father's writings. However, the Romanov family later got these back and returned them to the Imperial Library in Moscow.
