The personality of Paracelsus overturned and subsequently shaped the scientific way of thinking during the Middle Ages. He was a polymath and the founder of homeopathy. His contributions were such that in 1993 all European universities, particularly those in Switzerland, celebrated the 500th anniversary of his death.

Franz Hartmann provides details about his life and teachings in an extremely understandable manner, so that the great Paracelsus can be grasped by the average reader. After the biographical information, a brief overview of the 106 written works that have been preserved is given, followed by an interpretation of Paracelsus's terminology.

Next, Hartmann condenses and organizes the teachings into the following chapters: Cosmology, Anthropology, Spirituality, Magic, Medicine, Alchemy, Philosophy, and Theosophy.