Hippocrates
| Famous as | Physicist, Philosopher, White Magic Exponent, Medicine Expert and a School of Thought. |
| Born on | 0460 BC |
| Born in | Kos/Cos |
| Died on | 0370 BC |
| Nationality | Greece |
| Works & Achievements | Physicist, Philosopher, White Magic Exponent, Medicine Expert and a School of Thought. |
Hippocrates Childhood & Life
There is confusion regarding the dates and works surrounding
Hippocrates. There have been very few records (date wise notes and
proofs) found on his medicinal works, theories and life. According to
most historians Hippocrates was believed to have been born somewhere
around 460 BC in Kos or Cos, an island in Greece. Hippocrates’ fame
gathered around medicine. He was the father of medicine. Greek politics
and governance had opposed Hippocrates’ theories and approaches. For
this reason the great physician had spent two decades in state prison.
Hippocrates wrote his very famous book of medicine 'The Complicated
Body' when he was in prison.
Traces and References of Hippocrates have been found in writings of Aristotle, John Tzetzes and Suda (a Greek encyclopaedia). According top some other biographical writings on Hippocrates it has been found that Hippocrates had a great family of physician and doctors as his ancestors and predecessors. Hippocrates was probably the first medicine man to have started thinking that diseases are common and natural occurrences and not due to some external forces like superstition or gods. Pythagoras and his disciples had credited Hippocrates for associating philosophy and medicine. Hippocrates stated that disease was created by environmental factors, diet, and living habits. This has been affirmed by the ‘Hippocratic Corpus’ (a collection of several medical works completed in ancient Greek eras having strong association to Hippocrates and his teachings). Plato’s works have mention of Hippocrates.
Work
The world and philosophy of Hippocratic medicine was very different
from modern medicine. Hippocrates worked mostly in lines of anatomy,
humorism and physiology. Hippocrates and his Hippocratic medicine were
themed on ‘crisis’. The term crisis was a point of progression of an
illness that either had the power to kill a person or a patient could
recover from it naturally. Hippocrates is believed to the person to have
propounded this theory. Hippocratic medicine stood on therapeutic
approach. The theory of crisis was the founding base for Hippocrates and
his medicine. Hippocratic therapy followed nature and believed in the
healing power inherent in nature. Hippocrates worked on being kind with
his medicine while treating a
patient. The main foundation stone of Hippocratic medicine was its
humble and passive nature. Humorism and Crisis theory of Hippocrates
focused on simple easing ways in natural therapeutic process.
Hippocratic treatment was believed to be gentle and always aimed at
keeping the patients clean and sterile.
The ancient Greek society was completely unaware of anatomical dissection and other bodily detection involved in treatment and medicinal cures. Medicine during Hippocrates’ time had nothing to do with human anatomy and physiology. This was solely because of the existence of Greek taboo forbidding the dissection of humans. It was in the studies of Hippocrates that mankind found the initial stages of general diagnosis and passive form of treatments. Hippocrates’ Koan school of medicine achieved tremendous success in right treatment because of their focus on patient care and prognosis, not diagnosis. Clinical practises became widely known because of Hippocrates. It was possible for Hippocrates (he opposed Greek infrastructure to develop the field of medicine) to introduce passive treatment (as nothing else was possible) as Greek taboo made human dissection forbidden. Hippocrates never administered drugs. He was completely against this. He was so stuck up with his philosophy in medicine that he never engaged in specialized treatment because of the fear of wrong choice of treatment. Hippocrates belonged to a very ancient age when medicinal therapy was not known or existed in a very immature state.
Practice and Contributions
Hippocrates mentioned and described several diseases for the first
time. Hippocratic medicine is known for its very professional approach.
Hippocrates had written in his ‘On the Physician’ that physicians should
follow certain norms like honesty, calmness, seriousness, thorough
understanding and well-kempt appearances. A Hippocratic physician was
always found to follow and maintain right techniques in bandaging,
lighting, proper usage of instruments, positioning a patient properly
and several other specifications.
Hippocrates mentioned and described clubbing of fingers as a very significant diagnostic sign of chronic suppurative lung disease, lung cancer and cyanotic heart disease. ‘Clubbed Fingers’ are symptoms widely and commonly known as ‘Hippocratic fingers’. Other diseases described (and successfully treated on prognosis) by Hippocrates are suppuration or formation of pus in the lining of the chest cavity, rectal ailments and Hemorrhoids. The Hippocratic School of medicine treated illnesses by categorizing them as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic. Hippocrates had used the terms exacerbation, relapse, resolution, crisis, paroxysm, peak, and convalescence to categorize illnesses in his own terms. Hemorrhoids was treated by Hippocratic physicians in advanced ways if treatment. Although the Hippocratic school was poor in its medicinal fields and theories (due to the backward ancient era) the human rectum ailments and the possible treatments were described by the Hippocratic school. There are several accounts of treatment methods written in ‘Hippocratic Corpus’. Several methods like Cautery and excision along with ligation have been mentioned in the Corpus. It has been mentioned that ligating the hemorrhoids and drying them with a hot iron treats hemorrhoids successfully. Various forms of balms and ointments have been suggested for treating ailments. The modern day usage of burning, strangling, and excising in treating hemorrhoids was first mentioned in the Hippocratic Corpus associated with Hippocrates. Hippocratic Corpus is an ancient collection of medical works that are believed to have been written by Hippocrates and his followers. The date, authors and bulk volumes cannot be affirmed or credited to any one person. So the general belief has been that all the records and medical writings are directly related with Hippocrates and his ideas and principles.
References
Hippocrates and his ideas are referred even today. The ‘Hippocratic Oath’
is a historical practice where doctors take oaths and swear to follow
and practice medicinal paths ethically. The Hippocratic Corpus has a
mention of rectal speculum which is regarded as the earliest reference
to endoscopy. Hippocrates started the introduction and expansion of
clinical observations into family history and environmental factors
along with pulse reading of patients. These measures have been adopted
and are referred even today. Modern day case histories bear fruits of
the Hippocratic era. The ancient practice of clinical inspection and
observation rampant during Hippocrates’ time has modern day relevance.
Death
Hippocrates is believed to have died in 370 BC in Larissa, Greece.
Some records state that the Greek physician died at the age of 83 or 90.
Some other accounts claim that Hippocrates had lived more than 100
years.
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Hippocrates Timeline: | ||||
460 BC – Hippocrates was born in Kos, Greece.
370 BC – Hippocrates died in Larissa, Greece.
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