The Archidoxes and Medico-Chemical Works of Paracelsus

On the separation of elements from fleshly things.

How fleshly things are to be separated.

The separation of the elements from fleshly bodies and those which live with blood is to be understood in such a way that the element predominating in them is found more copiously and better at the last, as in fish water, and in worms fire: likewise, in edible flesh, air, these are the principal elements, as we write concerning the generations of animals.

The separation of the elements from fish is such.

The separation of fish.

Putrefy the fish thoroughly, afterwards distill through horse dung, and water ascends the most: you will repeat and increase this putrefaction and distillation, until no more water wishes to ascend. What remains, afterwards distill through sand; then at last fire ascends in the form of oil, but the earth remains at the bottom. Thus, the whole substance of the fish is separated into elements. No consideration is to be had of the fats and the marrows, but each one must be judged to be separated through putrefaction and divided into its elements. Likewise, it is to be understood concerning worms, except that not only water comes out of them, but more fire, unless the worms were aquatic, like serpents, whose distillation produces more wonders than can be told. Regarding edible animals, it is to be understood in the same way, which also uniquely reveal their elements through separation.

On the separation of elements from undose things.

What undose things are, and how they are to be separated.

Concerning the separation of juicy or undose wave-like/fluid things into their elements, or those which have the form of liquidity, such as urine, dung, water, etc., note this process.
Take urine and distill it completely: water, air, and earth will ascend together, but fire remains at the bottom. Afterwards, mix everything together, and distill again and four times in this manner, and in the fourth distillation, water will first ascend upward, at length air and fire, but the earth remains at the bottom.
Finally, catch the air and fire in a peculiar vessel, which you place in a cold place, and they will freeze into icicles, which are the element of fire. Although during the distilling those also freeze, in the cold they do so more.

On the separation of elements from water.

Waters.

Make the water boil through horse dung, and the earth itself will subside at the bottom; what ascends, let it putrefy in its own time, and afterwards be distilled through the bath, and water will ascend first, and afterwards fire.
Dung, etc.

Dung, vitriol, tartar, and what is of this kind of juice, such as alum, salts, and things of that genus,