Theophrastus von Hohenheim, known as Paracelsus (1493-1541), has always posed a challenge to intellectual life. His influence captivated natural scientists as well as devout Christians, Gnostics, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, Muslims, and various movements in reform medicine and esotericism. Paracelsus is most fascinating as a physician. His views on practice, his descriptions of diseases, and his approach to surgery are little known. Pirmin Meier's biography depicts this, drawing from a wealth of research knowledge, as a panorama of life and death, but also of an unrelenting struggle in a time of transition. He reveals the context surrounding the physician and dispels some cherished notions.