Christoph von Hellwig (1663-1721) worked as a physician in several German towns throughout his life. As a prolific author, editor, and compiler of medical and scientific information, Hellwig published numerous works within the subject areas of medicine and chemistry. Hellwig’s books continued to be re-issued throughout the eighteenth century, some in expanded or otherwise altered editions. Others appeared in their first editions posthumously. Many of these works were published under the pseudonym Valentin Kräutermann. Recent scholarship has argued that numerous authors were involved in assembling these texts, even some of those published under Hellwig’s own name. The work to be considered here is referred to generally as Hellwig’s Regnum minerale, the contents of which concern the nature, properties, medical uses, and generation of minerals and metals. The first edition, 1717, was among the books first published under the Kräutermann pseudonym. A second edition appeared in 1726, five years after’s Hellwig’s death, with considerably altered contents. The third edition, 1747, is a reprinting of the second. I will briefly describe the main differences in content between the first and second editions, with remarks on the some of the different theoretical ideas regarding metals and minerals found in each. This comparison constitutes an interesting case in which two consecutive editions of a book are essentially different works. Furthermore, the case for ascribing these works to different authors will be evaluated.

Different editions or different books? The <i>Regnum minerale </i>of "Valentin Krautermann"

2019 Fall National Meeting

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Different editions or different books? The Regnum minerale of "Valentin Krautermann"