From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMedicines classified by a claimed power of attraction.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 8; facsimile PDF page 336.
Historical definition
Attractiva are magnetic medicines with the power to draw to themselves things composed of similar attractives.
Meaning
The definition explains attraction through likeness between the attracting medicine and what is drawn. “Magnetic” therefore belongs to an account of affinity and action, rather than identifying an ordinary magnet as the sole ingredient. The plural names a class of medicines, not one preparation.
When reading a therapeutic passage, distinguish the attributed drawing power, its object and the substance said to exercise it. The dictionary supplies the relation but no verified treatment outcome. A material’s inclusion in this category records a historical explanation of efficacy. It does not establish that the attractive action occurred as claimed.
Places to read
- AttractivaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Magneticus tartarusA bodily stone described by hardness and a spongy structure.
- RepercussivaMedicines classified by their supposed action of driving a flow back.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 8; facsimile PDF page 336 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Attractiva ; compare Magneticus tartarus, Repercussiva