Intuitively perceived that the Almighty, in His love to men, must have concealed in the world some wonderful arcanum

by which every imperfect, diseased, and defective thing in the whole world might be renewed, and restored to its

former vigour.

By the most diligent and careful search they gradually found out that there was nothing in this world that could

procure for our earthly and corruptible body immunity from death, since death was laid upon the Protoplasts, Adam

and Eve, and their posterity, as a perpetual penalty. But they did discover one thing which, being itself incorruptible,

has been ordained of God for the good of man, to remove disease, to cure all imperfection, to purge old age, and to

prolong our brief life—a boon actually enjoyed by the Patriarchs.

[...] For by its aid Noah is said to have built the Ark, Moses the Tabernacle with all its golden vessels, and Solomon the

Temple, besides accomplishing many other great deeds, fashioning many precious ornaments, and procuring for

himself long life and boundless riches.

The Sophic Hydrolith, Or, Water Stone of the Wise, by Anonymous, 17th Cen.

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After the Flood the general understanding and knowledge of this true natural philosophy became weakened in force

and scattered in fragments in all directions; hence arose a subdividing of the whole into parts ---- and one has become

an Astronomy, another a Magician, a third a Cabalist, a fourth an Alchemist, and especially did it afterwards flourish

In Egypt.

A Golden and Blessed Casket of Nature's Marvels, by Benedictus Figulus, 1607 AD

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For Adam, created by God full of understanding and perfect knowledge of natural things, doubtless knew those which

were capable of prolonging human life and securing immunity from disease. Doubtless he also taught the same to

some of his descendants, and they again to others. Hence many of the fathers lived to the age of 700, 800, and more

years; but some did not live so long, this secret not being revealed to all.

Man, the Best and Most Perfect of God's Creatures, by Benedictus Figulus, 1607 AD

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Adam, our first father, who had knowledge of all arts, also received that of Medicine from God, and it was kept secret

by the learned (as the great gift of God) until Noah's time. When God destroyed the world by the Flood, the art of

Medicine, with many other controlled arts, was lost. No one remained who knew them except Noah, called by some

Hermogenes, or Hermes, to whom Antiquity ascribes the knowledge of all things celestial and terrestrial. The same

Noah, before his death, described Medicine, skillfully concealing it among another matter. After his death this

knowledge returned to God, and thus, through the Flood and Noah's death, was taken away from the Human Race.

[...] Whence came the idols which, before Christ, were in Europe, Africa, and Asia? Our human reason has speculated

them out, and thus also has it happened with Medicine. After Noah's time, men, harassed by diseases, sought refuge,

one in herbs, another in animals, a third in stones and metals, and thus one thing after another was tried, without full

knowledge of the same, which had some appearance of virtue. But there was as yet no doctor. The sick were carried to

some public place, those who had had similar complaints shewing them the remedies used by themselves, which the

patients tried on chance. Such was Medicine until the time of Apollo, i.e., 1915 B.C. This Apollo was a clever and

learned man, and carefully noting those things which proved efficacious in diseases, he began to visit the sick, and

thus became a public physician, to whom, after his death, a temple was erected and divine honours were paid. In such

honour was medicine then held which today begs its bread. Aesculapius succeeding his father, also treated the sick

with skill and knowledge inherited from his father, and to him there was a temple erected, as to a god. After his death

the kings commanded that all medical discoveries and observations should be written down and publicly exhibited on

the walls of the Temple of Aesculapius. 457 years after came Hippocrates Cous, who was commanded to arrange the

experiments in the Temple of Aesculapius, which he did; and, from these experiments, first invented methodical

Medicine. Hence from him Medicine, as now taught in the schools, derives its origin. When Empirical Medicine thus

came into great honour in Greece, many physicians arose, as Diocles, Chrysippus, Coristinus, Anaxagorus, Erostratus.