(ca. 460 B.c.-ca. 377 b.c.) physician, medical writer
During the fourth century b.c., the classical civilization of ancient Greece flourished. The Greeks, particularly the Athenians, achieved new heights in art, literature, and science that have remained a standard of human accomplishment up to the present day. Of the many great thinkers and philosophers who lived and worked during this time, one of the most important and influential was the physician Hippocrates, often considered the father of medicine.
Hippocrates was born on the island of Cos, in the Aegean Sea. Aside from his birthplace and the years in which he lived, very little is known about his life. It is known that the city-state of Cos contained a thriving medical school, which may be attributed to Hippocrates’ presence. His teachings, however, are well known because they were collected into a series of books known as the Hippo-cratic Corpus.
Before Hippocrates, medicine in the ancient world was hardly more advanced than superstition. Illness and disease were thought to be caused by evil spirits or the disfavor of the gods. The remedies provided for patients were more like religious rituals than medical treatments.
Hippocrates changed this by transforming medicine into an empirical science, based on observation and experiment. He taught his students to search for natural explanations of medical symptoms, as opposed to attributing illnesses to supernatural phenomena. Rather than relying on rituals or prayers to heal the sick, Hippocrates favored the use of dietary changes and other such devices. Although his medical knowledge was primitive compared with that of the modern world, the fact that he recognized the empirical basis of medicine was a considerable achievement.
Hippocrates is also famous for the so-called “Hippocratic Oath.” A modified version of the oath is still taken by many graduates of medical schools today. By taking the oath, doctors swear to assist any person who needs help, no matter whom they are or what they may have done, and they also pledge never to harm any patient under any circumstances.
The teachings of Hippocrates are collected in the Hippocratic Corpus. It consists of about 60 books, written on a variety of medical subjects. Most of them were likely written by Hippocrates’ students rather than by Hippocrates himself. In addition to suggested treatments for a variety of ailments, the Hippocratic Corpus speculates on the causes of disease in general and can be considered a philosophical and scientific text or a collection of medical treatises.
Hippocrates’ teachings greatly influenced the development of medicine and science. The Roman doctor galen, the second most important physician of ancient times, greatly respected Hippocrates. Indeed, Hippocrates’ work dominated Western medical thinking until the Renaissance, 2,000 years later. Although the medical knowledge of the modern world far surpasses that known to Hippocrates, he is still greatly respected for his teaching of medicine as an empirical science.
English Versions of Works by Hippocrates
Hippocrates: Ancient Medicine, Airs, Waters, Places, Epidemics 1-2, Oath, Precepts, Nutriment, Volume 1. Loeb Classical Library. Translated by W. H. Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1992.
Hippocrates: Places in Man, General Nature ofGlands, Fleshes, Use of Liquids, Ulcers, Fistulas, Haemorrhoids, Volume 8. Loeb Classical Library. Edited by Paul Potter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Works about Hippocrates
Craik, Elizabeth M. Hippocrates: Places in Man. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Jouanna, Jacques. Hippocrates. Translated by M. B. Debevoise. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. Temkin, Owsei. Hippocrates in a World of Pagans and Christians. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.
