Paracelsus has been called the father of modern chemistry and is legendary for his treatment of syphilis. This work argues that Paracelsus developed an understanding of the body as composed of two distinct sexes, revolutionizing early modern conceptions of the female body as an inversion of or flawed approximation of the male body.

Introduction; Chapter 1 Rethinking Sex in Early Modern Germany: Negotiating Medical Authority; Chapter 2 Predestined Conception: Seeds of Procreation and the Workings of the Womb; Chapter 3 What About Mary? Contemplating Divine and Human Birth; Chapter 4 Adam, Eve and the Human Body: Paracelsus's Nature Dilemma; Chapter 5 Paracelsus's Theory of Embodiment in the Popular Press; conclusion Conclusion;