This chapter will analyze the Hippocratic medicine using especially the study of the Hippocratic Corpus. In the texts of the Hippocratic Corpus, medicine becomes pragmatic and secular, with theories to explain natural causes of diseases and discussions about medical practices and professional ethic. The chapter will discuss fundamental theoretical and ethical changes in medicine after Hippocrates.
It is important to keep in mind that the Hippocratic Corpus is not the text of a single author, but rather a compilation of writings by many authors with similar characteristics with Hippocrates of Cos. Possibly, many treaties were lost in the fire that destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria, but a librarian saved and compiled approximately 60 of the medical writings, publishing them as the Hippocratic Corpus. Identify which texts were actually written by Hippocrates is still an ongoing work for historians, but the influence of the physician of Cos is clearly observed in the text of the Corpus.
Before Hippocrates, as observed in the last chapter of the book, medicine and religion were closely related. The population believed that diseases had a supernatural cause or were divine punishments, so treatments consisted in going to temples and praying to the gods for help. However, the Hippocratic medicine distanced itself from religion, and Hippocratic writings argues that all diseases have natural causes. In fact, there is no mention of supernatural or magical properties in the treatments used by the Corpus writers. This secular approach can be seen in the text of Airs Waters Places, Chapter XXII:
I too think that these diseases are divine, and so are all others, no one being more divine or more human than any other; all are ali...
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Beginning around 460 BC, the concept of humoralism emerged throughout the written works of Hippocrates. These early works, some of the only medical works of this detailed nature to survive this period, delineated one of the first ways scholars and physicians viewed the body and more importantly illness. Shaped by the Hippocratics’ version of humoralism and his own interpretations of their written works, Galen resolutely supported the fundamental four-element theory, the notion of the four humors, and the essential practice of healing by applying opposites by physicians. However, Galen’s education in anatomy proved an effective advance in his medical reasoning away from a non-ontological view of illness into a considerably more ontological and
In modern medicine when an ailment arises it can be quickly diagnosed, attributed to a precise bacteria, virus, or body system, and treated with medication, surgery or therapy. During the time before rational medical thought, this streamlined system of treatment was unheard of, and all complaints were attributed to the will of the multitude of commonly worshiped Greek gods (Greek Medicine 1). It was during the period of Greek rationalism that a perceptible change in thought was manifested in the attitudes towards treating disease. Ancient Greece is often associated with its many brilliant philosophers, and these great thinkers were some of the first innovators to make major developments in astrology, physics, math and even medicine. Among these academics was Hippocrates, one of the first e...
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Although he lived four centuries before the birth of Christ, a man named Hippocrates recorded the symptoms of diseases we still see to this day. Known as the “Father of Medicine” (Hippocrates), Hippocrates was an ancient physician who studied and recorded his observances of the body’s infections and physiology. He set forth the foundation for future physicians, and in doing so, is accredited for our knowledge of infectious diseases in earlier centuries. During this time however, many believed the earth and its inhabitants were composed of four general elements: air, water, fire, and dirt. They also believed that any one person who fell ill was being punished by the gods. As a foresighted thinker though, Hippocrates encouraged the idea that humans became ill due to natural causes. In that wisdom, he recorded all his observances of his patients and their illnesses, taking careful note of the bodily symptoms and their progression.
The purpose of the Hippocratic Society, hereafter referred to as the Society, shall be to foster and broaden the intellectual perspectives of those with an interest in medicine; to facilitate this end, the club shall hold regular meetings, sponsor, when possible, academic and social pursuits such as guest speakers, attendances at state and national conventions of interest, and interaction with students at other colleges akin interests.
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The Hippocratic Oath is a moral code for ethical conduct and practice in medicine. It was established accordingly to the ideals of Hippocrates, who belonged to the medical brotherhood of Asclepiads; he was considered the Father of Medicine because he separated the art and science of medicine from philosophy and religion. The oath was written between 470-380 BCE. One version of the Hippocratic Oath states, “I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses,
Siraisi, Nancy G. Medieval and early Renaissance medicine: an introduction to knowledge and practice. University of Chicago Press, 2009.
Hippocrates was born to a physician priest around 460 B.C (History Learning Site). Hippocrates was known as the Greek doctor of medicine. During his time, he made a strong mark in medical history. Although he did most of his work 430 years before the birth of Christ, he is still considered the father of modern medicine. In today’s world he is strongly recognized so much so that graduating medical students take what is called the ‘Hippocratic Oath” as they step into the world of practicing medicine. This could be because he is the one who freed medicine from the bondage of superstition, sorcery and the spirit world. My goal in this paper is to explore the work done by Hippocrates, which led him to being known as the father of modern medicine.
The Hippocratic diagnostic system was based on logical reasoning rather than supernatural explanations; observations rather than religious beliefs; and focused on the natural approach of disease treatment rather than supernatural or magical healing. Hippocrates and later physicians based their diagnosis of a disease and illness primarily on scientific observations. As mentioned earlier, a stable bodily fluid equilibrium manifested good health. On the contrary, a disruption in that equilibrium implied disease. Since the four humors were associated with nature’s four elements and qualities, observations were focused on how the body reacted due to a break of equilibrium. Sarton contributes that if a patient showed symptoms of extreme body heat and dryness based on these observations Hippocratic physicians would make the diagnosis that the illness was caused due to an excess of yellow bile, of which is associated with the hot and dry elements; this illness was known to be a fever. Hippocrates theory of the four humors provided a specific constitution of health that physicians were able to follow and make logical observations for an appropriate diagnosis and
One of the contributions is that people in modern days are able to understand more about the history of medicine. The Jewson’s paper clearly listed out the changes and transformation of the medical cosmologies. It indicates the evolution in the medical field throughout the centuries and also those who have contributed in the medical field such as the Hippocrates, who had contributed in the Bedside Medicine (Bynum, 2008). This helps us to be able to understand the development of the medicine and link the cosmologies in olden days to the modern era in medicine. The way Jewson describes instead of just being an idea or notion, the sick-man is also a symbol that shows the relationship between the medical investigators and the way they treat their patients (Prior, 2009). The Jewson’s thesis presents the connection between the transformation in the olden days and the development of the medicine which are available in the current years. It could help researchers to trace back whether a particular treatment is created in which era and whether the treatment is reliable or not. The development of methodologies in the history of science and sociology of knowledge are equally sounded in Jewson’s presentation on the medical knowledge, practices and politics (Pickstone, 2009). Therefore, I believe that Jewson’s paper is an important source for people who would want to know about the history
Hippocrates was a Greek physician that left a legacy that existed during his lifetime in Classical Greece and continues today. His moral and ethical standards were the foundation of his teachings, along with his meticulous writings concerning the study of the human body. He firmly believed that poor health and disease were the result of a natural process that could be discovered and cured through careful clinical reasoning and observations. Hippocrates travelled throughout Greece teaching and describing disease symptoms, and taught doctors how to analyze and treat specific illnesses or diseases. Hippocrates’s accomplishments give him the respect from doctors and medical professionals around the world that continues even today.
As the centuries unrolled and new civilizations appeared, cultural, artistic, and medical developments shifted toward the new centers of power. A reversal of the traditional search for botanical drugs occurred in Greece in the fourth century BC, when Hippocrates (estimated dates, 460-377 BC), the "Father of Medicine," became interested in inorganic salts as medications.