Abstract
Jacques Guillerme : Oxygen and therapeutics. The advances of pneumatic chemistry at the end of the century and the emphasis on the preeminence of oxygen inevitably led to creative trends in therapy. Although effective in cases of asphyxia, the stimulating properties of 'vital air' were soon found to be incapable of curing chronic diseases. However, the prestige of its stimulating properties was such that it gave rise to indirect therapy, using oxygenized compounds which were generally ineffective and/or hazardous. Many rationalisations were found, based on Brownian 'Stimulism', and often also on the fact that they followed the pattern of formalisation of applied mathematics. The aim of this article is to retrace the various stages of a therapeutic error which came to an end when rational empiricism was restored, together with a denial of chemistry's ability to account for the mechanism of life.
Published Version
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