Hippocrates (of Cos/Kos) was a Greek physician and widely recognised in western culture as the father of modern medicine. It is generally agreed that Hippocrates was born around the year 460 BC in Cos. There is very little information regarding Hippocrates’ early life, although Soranus (a second century Greek gynaecologist) wrote that Hippocrates was the son of Praxitela and Heraclides, a physician.
It is believed he trained at the Asklepieion in Cos, and learned medicine from his father and grandfather. At the time human dissection was forbidden and so little was known about human anatomy and physiology. The Hippocratic approach to medicine focused on diagnosis and prognosis, using passive treatments. Hippocrates believed that all illnesses were the result in the body’s internal balance of what he referred to as ‘The Four Humours’. The four humours comprised of blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. Hippocrates based his treatments around attempting to restore the balance between the humours.
Hippocratic also believed that every disease at a ‘crisis’ a point during its progression, in which either the illness would consume the patient or the patient would triumph over the disease and begin to recover.
Although many aspects of Hippocratic medicine are now discredited, Hippocrates did make some major contributions to modern medicine. Hippocrates was humble regarding the role of the physician, believing that the body was capable of healing itself by rebalancing the four humors. Treatment was gentle and there was an emphasis on cleanliness and sterility. Administration of drugs and specialized treatments were rarely utilized.
Hippocrates used devices such as the Hippocratic bench in the treatment of broken bones through skeletal traction. Hippocrates focused on the importance of a prognosis. Hippocratic medicine was professional, disciplined and rigorously practiced. Detailed processes and practices were followed. Records of observations were kept and Hippocrates was fastidious in his note keeping. Hippocrates treated his patients kindly but his behaviour was at times not unlike that of televisions Dr. House. He often monitored the patient’s pulse as a way of telling if his patient was lying to him.
Hippocrates was the first to describe the clubbing of fingers (today sometimes referred to as Hippocratic fingers) as a central diagnostic sign of heart and lung disorders. Hippocrates was also the first to separate illnesses into whether or not they were chronic or acute and whether or not they were endemic or epidemic. Thoracic Empyema (suppuration of the chest lining) was first described, diagnosed and treated by Hippocrates. For this reason Hippocrates was the first cardiothoracic surgeon.
Hippocratic physicians successfully treated haemorrhoids, although they misunderstood the cause of them. The Hippocratic Corpus (a collection of works from ancient Greece, not believed to have been completely written by Hippocrates) includes information about the rectal speculum and early forms of an endoscopy. The Hippocratic Oath is probably the most famous document from the Corpus. An edited version of the oath is still used by students about to enter into medical practice today.
There is speculation over when Hippocrates died. Some accounts place his age at the time of his death at 83 or 90, although others state that he lived to be well over the age of 100. Hippocrates was one of the most influential physicians in medicine and if not the ‘father of medicine’, he is undoubtedly the ‘father of clinical medicine’.
It is believed he trained at the Asklepieion in Cos, and learned medicine from his father and grandfather. At the time human dissection was forbidden and so little was known about human anatomy and physiology. The Hippocratic approach to medicine focused on diagnosis and prognosis, using passive treatments. Hippocrates believed that all illnesses were the result in the body’s internal balance of what he referred to as ‘The Four Humours’. The four humours comprised of blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. Hippocrates based his treatments around attempting to restore the balance between the humours.
Hippocratic also believed that every disease at a ‘crisis’ a point during its progression, in which either the illness would consume the patient or the patient would triumph over the disease and begin to recover.
Although many aspects of Hippocratic medicine are now discredited, Hippocrates did make some major contributions to modern medicine. Hippocrates was humble regarding the role of the physician, believing that the body was capable of healing itself by rebalancing the four humors. Treatment was gentle and there was an emphasis on cleanliness and sterility. Administration of drugs and specialized treatments were rarely utilized.
Hippocrates used devices such as the Hippocratic bench in the treatment of broken bones through skeletal traction. Hippocrates focused on the importance of a prognosis. Hippocratic medicine was professional, disciplined and rigorously practiced. Detailed processes and practices were followed. Records of observations were kept and Hippocrates was fastidious in his note keeping. Hippocrates treated his patients kindly but his behaviour was at times not unlike that of televisions Dr. House. He often monitored the patient’s pulse as a way of telling if his patient was lying to him.
Hippocrates was the first to describe the clubbing of fingers (today sometimes referred to as Hippocratic fingers) as a central diagnostic sign of heart and lung disorders. Hippocrates was also the first to separate illnesses into whether or not they were chronic or acute and whether or not they were endemic or epidemic. Thoracic Empyema (suppuration of the chest lining) was first described, diagnosed and treated by Hippocrates. For this reason Hippocrates was the first cardiothoracic surgeon.
Hippocratic physicians successfully treated haemorrhoids, although they misunderstood the cause of them. The Hippocratic Corpus (a collection of works from ancient Greece, not believed to have been completely written by Hippocrates) includes information about the rectal speculum and early forms of an endoscopy. The Hippocratic Oath is probably the most famous document from the Corpus. An edited version of the oath is still used by students about to enter into medical practice today.
There is speculation over when Hippocrates died. Some accounts place his age at the time of his death at 83 or 90, although others state that he lived to be well over the age of 100. Hippocrates was one of the most influential physicians in medicine and if not the ‘father of medicine’, he is undoubtedly the ‘father of clinical medicine’.
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