This drug, because of its hard metal base, quickly became popular among the followers of the Swiss physician, Paracelsus (born Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, 11 November or 17 December 1493-September 24, 1541) whose  Paracelsian doctrines were the original basis for the  iatrochemists, and this drug was prescribed for a wide variety of ills.