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Alchemy was considered to be a branch of natural philosophy, the forerunner of modern science before the modern era. Alchemists were a combination of magicians and scientists. They were often believed to be engaged not in science, which was not well-defined in the Middle Ages, but in Black Magic. There were undoubtedly some aspects of alchemy that were related to myth, magic and the spiritual world. They carried out experiments that attempted to turn base metals into gold. Some alchemists tried to find magic elixirs that made people eternally youthful or even immortal.<ref> Buchen, Irving H. "Frankenstein and the Alchemy of Creation and Evolution." The Wordsworth Circle 8, no. 2 (1977): 103-112 </ref>
Many of them were charlatans and impostors. Yet some were also engaged in empirical experiments and they helped to develop the basics of modern laboratory practices. One famous alchemist who was also a pioneer in medicine was the German, known as Paracelsus. Alchemists were often regarded with suspicion by the Church and society at large. However, they were often protected by powerful lords, who believed that they had special powers and knowledge .<ref>Buchen, p. 111</ref> Figures, who practiced the occult, were possibly the model for the character of Victor Frankenstein. Indeed, in the novel, the young Baron, in his youth read some of the major alchemists’ treatises such as Albertus Magnus.
==== Giovanni Aldini====
