Talk:Johann Konrad Dippel

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Johann Conrad Dippel (1673-1734).

JCD published many theological works under the name Christianus Democritus, most of them are still preserved. He invented the color "Preussisch Blau" (also "Berliner Blau"), and sold a self-mixed life elixier. He led a very adventurous life, and often got in trouble because of his controversial opinions (and because of money).

His connection to the Castle Frankenstein (near Darmstadt/ Germany), and the idea that he was ideal to Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein - or the new Prometheus" is controversial.


 * There is no doubt about his connection to Castle Frankenstein: it is his birthplace! --Siffler 11:28, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Death
Urban legend says he died after drinking the blue dye he discovered. Does anyone know the real cause of death? BethEnd 16:35, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
 * In is said, that he most probably died from a stroke, but that many people believed that he had been poisoned. Prussian Blue (or Turnball's Blue) is not poisonous. It leaves the body unchanged, colouring the urine blue. On the contrary, it is used as a decontaminant in case of poisoning with rat poison (thallium) or decontamination of radioactive metals as caesium. Siffler 14:31, 24 February 2007 (UTC)
 * He also discovered Prussic acid, you know--and it's pretty dang poisonous. 71.223.166.25 09:50, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

"Franckensteinensis"
It is by far exaggerated that Dippel "often signed his letter" Franckensteinensis. This term can be proven to be used only once in a document of his school in Darmstadt and once (at the university of Gießen) it can be proven that the term Conrad Dippel, Franckensteina-Strataemontanus was used. 84.167.146.192 (talk) 11:25, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Johann was developing an "elixer" which he thought would let him live for 135 years, after drinking it he got poisoned (i got this from a german historian) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.254.1.154 (talk) 18:45, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
 * Who was this historian? I would really like to talk to him, for this is completly wrong and a total misconception. He should check the documents. Dippel once said that he would live until the year 1808, which would have made him 135 yrs old. But this was a joke. His opponents kept saying that Dippel died to mock him. So Dippel denied his death up until the year of 1808, so he did not have to deny every death note separatly. It was a joke, you see? And he never mentioned an "elixir" to have anything to do with it. And he did not poison himself, although there were rumors that he did so after he died. He most likely died of stroke.79.240.206.7 (talk) 18:09, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Connection to Frankenstein
I updated this section today to indicate that the Dippel-Frankenstein connect is now ingrained in pop culture, despite its shaky historical foundation. I included some examples. With as many pop-culture references about their relationship as there are (including countless History Channel specials, biographies of Shelley that include Dippel, and fictional works that connect the two), we cannot deny that their mythologies have certainly entwined in modern day mythology. Even though the actual connection is open to debate, today most people have only heard of Dippel because of the hypothetical connection. This fact cannot be ignored. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.183.249.221 (talk) 22:09, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Konrad, not Conrad
His name should be spelled with a K as in Konrad, not with a C as in Conrad. Konrad with K is the German spelling (even used by the German Wikipedia), and he was German.