George Starkey, a major contributor to the development of science and medicine, was the only physician in London who possessed a cure for the Great Plague in 1665.This book reviews the history of chemistry, alchemy and medical science in Europe, the tensions between the rational thinkers and the Church on the eve of the Enlightenment, and the achievements of men like Starkey, Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton.

William Scott Shelley is a highly respected scholar connecting expertise in the fields of botany and classical scientific literature. His published books include The Elixir: An Alchemical Study of the Ergot Mushrooms, The Origins of the Europeans: Classical Observations in Culture and Personality, and two books with Algora Publishing.