From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordDigestion qualified by the condition of its matter.
- In the bookDigestio supplies the dictionary’s fuller chemical explanation: matter is worked through decoction toward a separation of pure from impure, in an analogy with the stomach’s digestion.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 38; facsimile PDF page 366.
Historical definition
Pusta is the digestion of corrupt matter.
Meaning
The subject undergoing digestion is expressly called corrupt. The definition names a process and its material condition, without identifying a particular vessel, duration or final product.
Use in the book
Digestio supplies the dictionary’s fuller chemical explanation: matter is worked through decoction toward a separation of pure from impure, in an analogy with the stomach’s digestion. Pusta adds the qualification that its matter is corrupt. The general process and this material condition should both remain visible.
Places to read
- PustaRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- SublimatioAn operation defined by the upward movement of heated dry matter.
- SpagirusThe alchemical practitioner defined through discrimination and separation.
- DigestioPreparation understood through digestion and the separation of pure from impure.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 38; facsimile PDF page 366 — Facsimile