From the book
Nine Books on the Nature of Things
Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Tin is said to be an enemy of all metals when mixed with them in fire and fusion, making them degenerate, unmalleable, hard and unserviceable. Degeneria here marks deterioration from useful or proper condition, not a modern moral judgment about people. The alleged loss of useful character is specifically linked to mixing with tin. The passage’s sweeping claim remains broader than a description of any one particular alloy.
Places to read
- Book 3 · Preservation · Passage 7Latin“Stannum etiam odit”