'Hippocrates of Kos (Greek: Ἱπποκράτης)
Engraving by Peter Paul Rubens, 1638, courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.[1]
Born	ca. 460 BC Kos, Greece
Died	ca. 370 BC Kos, Greece
Occupation	Physician

Hippocrates of Cos II or Hippokrates of Kos (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC) - Greek: Ἱπποκράτης; Hippokrátēs was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles, and was considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is referred to as the "father of medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field as the founder of the Hippocratic school of medicine. This intellectual school revolutionized medicine in ancient Greece, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields that it had traditionally been associated with (notably theurgy and philosophy), thus making medicine a profession.^[2][3] Hippocrates could refer to: The famed ancient Greek physician Hippocrates of Cos. ... Image File history File links Hippocrates_rubens. ... Peter Paul Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was a prolific seventeenth-century Flemish and European painter, and a proponent of an exuberant Baroque style that emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. ... The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the U.S. federal government, is the worlds largest medical research library. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... Centuries: 4th century BC - 5th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 500s BC 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC 460s BC - 450s BC - 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC Years: 465 BC 464 BC 463 BC 462 BC 461 BC - 460 BC - 459 BC 458 BC... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC 390s BC 380s BC - 370s BC - 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 375 BC 374 BC 373 BC 372 BC 371 BC - 370 BC - 369 BC 368 BC 367... The term ancient Greece refers to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. ... For other uses, see Doctor. ... The Age of Pericles is the term used to denote the historical period in Ancient Greece lasting roughly from the end of the Persian Wars to either the death of Pericles or the end of the Peloponnesian War. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Revisions and sourced additions are welcome; please only include historical figures. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Theurgy (from Greek: θεουργία) describes the practice of rituals, sometimes seen as magical in nature, performed with the intention of invoking the action of one or more gods, especially with the goal of uniting with the divine, achieving henosis, and perfecting oneself. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ...

However, the achievements of the writers of the Corpus, the practitioners of Hippocratic medicine, and the actions of Hippocrates himself are often commingled; thus very little is known about what Hippocrates actually thought, wrote and did. Nevertheless, Hippocrates is commonly portrayed as the paragon of the ancient physician. In particular, he is credited with greatly advancing the systematic study of clinical medicine, summing up the medical knowledge of previous schools, and prescribing practices for physicians through the Hippocratic Oath and other works.^[2][4] Hippocrates: a conventionalized image in a Roman portrait bust (19th century engraving) Hippocrates of Cos (c. ... Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining human health or restoring it through the treatment of disease and injury. ... For other uses, see Hippocratic Oath (disambiguation). ...

Biography

Asklepieion on Kos

Historians accept that Hippocrates was born around the year 460 BC on the Greek island of Kos (Cos), and became a famous physician and teacher of medicine. Other biographical information, however, is likely to be untrue (see Legends).^[5] Soranus of Ephesus, a 2nd-century Greek gynecologist,^[6] was Hippocrates' first biographer and is the source of most information on Hippocrates' person. Information about Hippocrates can also be found in the writings of Aristotle, which date from the 4th century BC, in the Suda of the 10th century AD, and in the works of John Tzetzes, which date from the 12th century AD.^[2][7] Soranus stated that Hippocrates' father was Heraclides, a physician; his mother was Praxitela, daughter of Phenaretis. The two sons of Hippocrates, Thessalus and Draco, and his son-in-law, Polybus, were his students. According to Galen, a later physician, Polybus was Hippocrates’ true successor, while Thessalus and Draco each had a son named Hippocrates.^[8][9] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1453x876, 1088 KB) Kos, Asklepeion, Griechenland Fotograf: Heiko Gorski (Moonshadow) Datum: Mai 2003 Quelle:hochgeladen vom Fotografen Lizenz: GFDL-self Kos, Asklepeion, Griechenland photographer: Heiko Gorski (Moonshadow) date: may 2003 Source: uploaded by the photographer Licence: GFDL-self File links The... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1453x876, 1088 KB) Kos, Asklepeion, Griechenland Fotograf: Heiko Gorski (Moonshadow) Datum: Mai 2003 Quelle:hochgeladen vom Fotografen Lizenz: GFDL-self Kos, Asklepeion, Griechenland photographer: Heiko Gorski (Moonshadow) date: may 2003 Source: uploaded by the photographer Licence: GFDL-self File links The... In ancient Greece, an asclepieion was a healing temple, sacred to the god Asclepius. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... For other uses, see Hippocrates (disambiguation). ... Soranus, Greek physician, born at Ephesus, lived during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian (AD 98-138). ... The shamefulness associated with the examination of female genitalia has long inhibited the science of gynaecology. ... For other uses, see Aristotle (disambiguation). ... Suda (Σουδα or alternatively Suidas) is a massive 10th century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopædia of the ancient Mediterranean world. ... John Tzetzes, was a Byzantine poet and grammarian, known to have lived at Constantinople during the 12th century. ... For other uses, see Galen (disambiguation). ...

Soranus said that Hippocrates learned medicine from his father and grandfather, and studied other subjects with Democritus and Gorgias. Hippocrates was probably trained at the asklepieion of Kos, and took lessons from the Thracian physician Herodicus of Selymbria. The only contemporaneous mention of Hippocrates is in Plato's dialogue Protagoras, where Plato describes Hippocrates as "Hippocrates of Kos, the Asclepiad".^[10][11] Hippocrates taught and practiced medicine throughout his life, traveling at least as far as Thessaly, Thrace, and the Sea of Marmara.^[9] He probably died in Larissa at the age of 83 or 90, though some accounts say he lived to be well over 100; several different accounts of his death exist.^[9] ‎ Democritus (Greek: ) was a pre-Socratic Greek materialist philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace ca. ... Gorgias (in Greek Γοργἰας, circa 483-376 BC) // Introduction Due to his ushering in of rhetorical innovations involving structure and ornamentation and his introduction of paradoxologia – the idea of paradoxical thought and paradoxical expression – Gorgias of Leontini has been labeled the ‘father of sophistry’ (Wardy 6). ... In ancient Greece, an asclepieion was a healing temple, sacred to the god Asclepius. ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... Herodicus (Ήρóðιĸος) was a Thracian physician of the fifth century BC, and a native of Selymbria. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... Protagoras is the title of one of Platos dialogues. ... It is uncertain as to who an Asclepiad was. ... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak  Thrace (Bulgarian: , Greek: , Attic Greek: ThrāíkÄ“ or ThrēíkÄ“, Latin: , Turkish: ) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. ... Map of the Sea of Marmara Satellite view of the Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara (Turkish: Marmara Denizi, Modern Greek: Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or Προποντίδα) (also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea) is an inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating the... Larissa (Greek: Λάρισα, Lárisa) is the capital city of the Thessaly periphery of Greece, and capital of the Larissa Prefecture. ...

Hippocratic theory

Hippocrates is credited with being the first physician to reject superstitions and beliefs that credited supernatural or divine forces with causing illness. Hippocrates was credited by the disciples of Pythagoras of allying philosophy and medicine.^[13] He separated the discipline of medicine from religion, believing and arguing that disease was not a punishment inflicted by the gods but rather the product of environmental factors, diet and living habits. Indeed there is not a single mention of a mystical illness in the entirety of the Hippocratic Corpus. However, Hippocrates did work with many convictions that were based on what is now known to be incorrect anatomy and physiology, such as Humorism.^[14][15][16] Pythagoras of Samos (Greek: ; born between 580 and 572 BC, died between 500 and 490 BC) was an Ionian Greek mathematician[1] and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. ... A listing of Greek mythological beings. ... Human heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about humors in Greco-Roman medicine. ...

Ancient Greek schools of medicine were split (into the Knidian and Koan) on how to deal with disease. The Knidian school of medicine focused on diagnosis, but was dependent on many faulty assumptions about the human body: Greek medicine at the time of Hippocrates knew almost nothing of human anatomy and physiology because of the Greek taboo forbidding the dissection of humans. The Knidian school consequently failed to distinguish when one disease caused many possible series of symptoms.^[17] The Hippocratic school or Koan school achieved greater success by applying general diagnoses and passive treatments. Its focus was on patient care and prognosis, not diagnosis. It could effectively treat diseases and allowed for a great development in clinical practice.^[18][19] Knidos or Cnidus (modern-day Tekir in Turkey) is an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor, once part of the country of Caria. ... This article is about cultural prohibitions in general; for other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation). ... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... In general, diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. ... Prognosis (older Greek πρόγνωσις, modern Greek πρόγνωση - literally fore-knowing, foreseeing) is a medical term denoting the doctors prediction of how a patients disease will progress, and whether there is chance of recovery. ... In general, diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. ...

Hippocratic medicine and its philosophy are far removed from that of modern medicine. Now, the physician focuses on specific diagnosis and specialized treatment, both of which were espoused by the Knidian school. This shift in medical thought since Hippocrates' day has caused serious criticism over the past two millennia, with the passivity of Hippocratic treatment being the subject of particularly strong denunciations; for example, the French doctor M. S. Houdart called the Hippocratic treatment a "meditation upon death".^[20]

Humorism and crisis

Main article: Humorism

The Hippocratic school held that all illness was the result of an imbalance in the body of the four humours, fluids which in health were naturally equal in proportion (pepsis).^[21] When the four humours, blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm, were not in balance (dyscrasia, meaning "bad mixture"), a person would become sick and remain that way until the balance was somehow restored. Hippocratic therapy was directed towards restoring this balance. For instance, using citrus was thought to be beneficial when phlegm was overabundant.^[22] This article is about humors in Greco-Roman medicine. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Blood (disambiguation). ... Melancholia (Greek μελαγχολια) was described as a distinct disease as early as the fifth and fourth centuries BC in the Hippocratic writings. ... Choleric is a temperament in the ancient medical theory of the four humours. ... Phlegm (pronounced ) is sticky fluid secreted by the typhoid membranes of animals. ... For other uses, see Citrus (disambiguation). ...

Another important concept in Hippocratic medicine was that of a crisis, a point in the progression of disease at which either the illness would begin to triumph and the patient would succumb to death, or the opposite would occur and natural processes would make the patient recover. After a crisis, a relapse might follow, and then another deciding crisis. According to this doctrine, crises tend to occur on critical days, which were supposed to be a fixed time after the contraction of a disease. If a crisis occurred on a day far from a critical day, a relapse might be expected. Galen believed that this idea originated with Hippocrates, though it is possible that it predated him.^[23]

A drawing of a Hippocratic bench from a Byzantine edition of Galen's work in the 2nd century AD

Hippocratic medicine was humble and passive. The therapeutic approach was based on "the healing power of nature" ("vis medicatrix naturae" in Latin). According to this doctrine, the body contains within itself the power to re-balance the four humours and heal itself (physis).^[21] Hippocratic therapy focused on simply easing this natural process. To this end, Hippocrates believed "rest and immobilization [were] of capital importance".^[24] In general, the Hippocratic medicine was very kind to the patient; treatment was gentle, and emphasized keeping the patient clean and sterile. For example, only clean water or wine were ever used on wounds, though "dry" treatment was preferable. Soothing balms were sometimes employed.^[25] Image File history File links HippocraticBench. ... Image File history File links HippocraticBench. ... The Hypocratic bench or scamnum was a device invented by Hippocrates (c. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... For other uses, see Galen (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ... ...

Hippocrates was reluctant to administer drugs and engage in specialized treatment that might prove to be wrongly chosen; generalized therapy followed a generalized diagnosis.^[25][26] Potent drugs were, however, used on certain occasions.^[27] This passive approach was very successful in treating relatively simple ailments such as broken bones which required traction to stretch the skeletal system and relieve pressure on the injured area. The Hippocratic bench and other devices were used to this end. In orthopaedic medicine, Traction refers to the set of mechanisms for straightening broken bones or relieving pressure on the skeletal system. ... The Hypocratic bench or scamnum was a device invented by Hippocrates (c. ...

One of the strengths of Hippocratic medicine was its emphasis on prognosis. At Hippocrates' time, medicinal therapy was quite immature, and often the best thing that physicians could do was to evaluate an illness and induce its likely progression based upon data collected in detailed case histories.^[16][28] Prognosis (older Greek πρόγνωσις, modern Greek πρόγνωση - literally fore-knowing, foreseeing) is a medical term denoting the doctors prediction of how a patients disease will progress, and whether there is chance of recovery. ...

Professionalism

A number of ancient Greek surgical tools. On the left is a trephine; on the right, a set of scalpels. Hippocratic medicine made good use of these tools.^[29]

Hippocratic medicine was notable for its strict professionalism, discipline and rigorous practice.^[30] The Hippocratic work On the Physician recommends that physicians always be well-kempt, honest, calm, understanding, and serious. The Hippocratic physician paid careful attention to all aspects of his practice: he followed detailed specifications for, "lighting, personnel, instruments, positioning of the patient, and techniques of bandaging and splinting" in the ancient operating room.^[31] He even kept his fingernails to a precise length.^[32] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (907x757, 283 KB) Summary Instruments used by ancient Greek surgeons. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (907x757, 283 KB) Summary Instruments used by ancient Greek surgeons. ... A trephine () is a surgical instrument. ... For other uses, see Scalpel (disambiguation). ... An operating theatre or operating room is a room within a hospital within which surgical operations are carried out. ... This article discusses the anatomical nail. ...

The Hippocratic School gave importance to the clinical doctrines of observation and documentation. These doctrines dictate that physicians record their findings and their medicinal methods in a very clear and objective manner, so that these records may be passed down and employed by other physicians.^[33] Hippocrates made careful, regular note of many symptoms including complexion, pulse, fever, pains, movement, and excretions.^[28] He is said to have measured a patient's pulse when taking a case history to know if the patient lied.^[34] Hippocrates extended clinical observations into family history and environment.^[35] "To him medicine owes the art of clinical inspection and observation".^[16] For this reason, he may more properly be termed as the "Father of Clinical Medicine".^[36]

Direct contributions to medicine

Clubbing of fingers secondary to pulmonary hypertension in a patient with Eisenmenger's syndrome. First described by Hippocrates, clubbing is also known as "Hippocratic fingers"

Hippocrates and his followers were first to describe many diseases and medical conditions. He is given credit for the first description of clubbing of the fingers, an important diagnostic sign in chronic suppurative lung disease, lung cancer and cyanotic heart disease. For this reason, clubbed fingers are sometimes referred to as "Hippocratic fingers".^[37] Hippocrates was also the first physician to describe Hippocratic face in Prognosis. Shakespeare famously alludes to this description when writing of Falstaff's death in Act II, Scene iii. of Henry V.^[38][39] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1572x900, 132 KB) example of clubbing secondary to pulmonary hypertension in a patient with Eisenmengers syndrome taken 10 March 205 by Ann McGrath File links The following pages link to this file: Clubbing ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1572x900, 132 KB) example of clubbing secondary to pulmonary hypertension in a patient with Eisenmengers syndrome taken 10 March 205 by Ann McGrath File links The following pages link to this file: Clubbing ... In medicine, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, or pulmonary capillaries, together known as the lung vasculature, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion. ... Eisenmengers syndrome or Eisenmengers reaction is defined as the process in which a left-to-right shunt in the heart causes increased flow through the pulmonary vasculature, causing pulmonary hypertension, which in turn, causes increased pressures in the right side of the heart and reversal of the shunt... For other uses, see Clubbing (disambiguation). ... Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. ... A cyanotic heart defect is a congenital heart defect. ... The Hippocratic face (facies Hippocratica in Latin) is the change produced in the countenance by death, or long sickness, excessive evacuations, excessive hunger, and the like. ... Shakespeare redirects here. ... Adolf Schrödter: Falstaff and his page Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare as a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vainglorious, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, but he... Title page of the first quarto (1600) Henry V, also known as The Cronicle History of Henry the fift, is a play by William Shakespeare based on the life of King Henry V of England. ...

Hippocrates began to categorize illnesses as acute, chronic, endemic and epidemic, and use terms such as, "exacerbation, relapse, resolution, crisis, paroxysm, peak, and convalescence."^[28][40] Another of Hippocrates' major contributions may be found in his descriptions of the symptomatology, physical findings, surgical treatment and prognosis of thoracic empyema, i.e. suppuration of the lining of the chest cavity. His teachings remain relevant to present-day students of pulmonary medicine and surgery.^[41] Hippocrates was the first documented chest surgeon and his findings are still valid.^[41] In medicine, an acute disease is a disease with either or both of: a rapid onset; a short course (as opposed to a chronic course). ... In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. ... In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. ... In epidemiology, an epidemic (from [[Latin language] epi- upon + demos people) is a disease that appears as new cases in a given human population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected, based on recent experience (the number of new cases in the population during... A relapse (etymologically, who falls again) occurs when a person is affected again by a condition that affected them in the past. ... Paroxysm can have several meanings. ... Categories: Move to Wiktionary | Stub ... An empyema is a collection of pus within a natural body cavity. ... Pus is a whitish-yellow or yellow substance produced during inflammatory responses of the body that can be found in regions of pyogenic bacterial infections. ... In medicine, pulmonology (aka pneumology) is the specialty that deals with diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract. ... In medicine, the field of (cardio)thoracic surgery or cardiovascular surgery is involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax, i. ...

The Hippocratic school of medicine described well the ailments of the human rectum and the treatment thereof, despite the school's poor theory of medicine. Hemorrhoids, for instance, though believed to be caused by an excess of bile and phlegm, were treated by Hippocratic physicians in relatively advanced ways.^[42][43] Cautery and excision are described in the Hippocratic Corpus, in addition to the preferred methods: ligating the hemorrhoids and drying them with a hot iron. Other treatments such as applying various salves are suggested as well.^[44][45] Today, "treatment [for hemorrhoids] still includes burning, strangling, and excising".^[42] Also, some of the fundamental concepts of proctoscopy outlined in the Corpus are still in use.^[42][43] For example, the uses of the rectal speculum, a common medical device, are discussed in the Hippocratic Corpus. ^[43] This constitutes the earliest recorded reference to endoscopy.^[46][47] The rectum (from the Latin rectum intestinum, meaning straight intestine) is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. ... Hemorrhoids (also haemorrhoids or piles) are varicosities or swelling and inflammation of veins in the rectum and anus. ... Hot cauters were applied to tissues or arteries to stop them from bleeding. ... Excision means to remove as if by cutting. It can be a euphemism for Female circumcision. ... In medicine, a ligature is a device, similar to a tourniquet, usually of thread or string, tied around a limb, blood vessel or similar to restrict blood flow. ... A medical procedure where an instrument, consisting of a tube or speculum equipped with a light, used to examine the rectum. ... Meanings of speculum include: A medical tool used for examing body cavities; see Speculum (medical). ... Endoscopic images of a duodenal ulcer A flexible endoscope. ...

Hippocratic Corpus

Main article: Hippocratic Corpus

A twelfth-century Byzantine manuscript of the Oath in the form of a cross

The Hippocratic Corpus (Latin: Corpus Hippocraticum) is a collection of around seventy early medical works from ancient Greece, written in Ionic Greek. The question of whether Hippocrates himself was the author of the corpus has not been conclusively answered,^[48] but the volumes were probably produced by his students and followers.^[49] Because of the variety of subjects, writing styles and apparent date of construction, scholars believe Hippocratic Corpus could not have been written by one person (Ermerins numbers the authors at nineteen)^[27]. The corpus was attributed to Hippocrates in antiquity, and its teaching generally followed principles of his; thus it came to be known by his name. It might be the remains of a library of Kos, or a collection compiled in the 3rd century BC in Alexandria.^[31][10] Hippocrates: a conventionalized image in a Roman portrait bust (19th century engraving) Hippocrates of Cos (c. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (696x983, 586 KB) Twelfth-century Byzantine manuscript the oath was written out in the form of a cross, relating it visually to Christian ideas from the Folio Biblioteca Vaticana. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (696x983, 586 KB) Twelfth-century Byzantine manuscript the oath was written out in the form of a cross, relating it visually to Christian ideas from the Folio Biblioteca Vaticana. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Byzantine redirects here. ... Also known as the Latin cross or crux ordinaria. ... Ionic Greek was a sub-dialect of the so called Attic-Ionic dialectal group of the ancient Greek language, which was itself a member of the Greek branch of Indoeuropean language family. ... This article is about the city in Egypt. ...

The Hippocratic Corpus contains textbooks, lectures, research, notes and philosophical essays on various subjects in medicine, in no particular order.^[48][50] These works were written for different audiences, both specialists and laymen, and were sometimes written from opposing view points; significant contradictions can be found between works in the Corpus.^[51] Notable among the treatises of the Corpus are The Hippocratic Oath; The Book of Prognostics; On Regimen in Acute Diseases; Aphorisms; On Airs, Waters and Places; Instruments of Reduction; On The Sacred Disease; etc.^[27] For other uses, see Hippocratic Oath (disambiguation). ...

Hippocratic Oath

Main article: Hippocratic Oath

The Hippocratic Oath, a seminal document on the ethics of medical practice, was attributed to Hippocrates in antiquity. This is probably the most famous document of the Hippocratic Corpus. Recently the authenticity of the document has come under scrutiny. While the Oath is rarely used in its original form today, it serves as a foundation for other, similar oaths and laws that define good medical practice and morals. Such derivatives are regularly taken today by medical graduates about to enter medical practice.^[52][10] For other uses, see Hippocratic Oath (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hippocratic Oath (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ethics (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Legacy

Mural painting showing Galen and Hippocrates. 12th century; Anagni, Italy

Hippocrates is widely considered to be the "Father of Medicine".^[49] His contributions revolutionized the practice of medicine; but after his death the advancement stalled.^[53] So revered was Hippocrates that his teachings were largely taken as too great to be improved upon and no significant advancements of his methods were made for a long time.^[10][24] The centuries after Hippocrates' death were marked as much by retrograde movement as by further advancement. For instance, "after the Hippocratic period, the practice of taking clinical case-histories died out...", according to Fielding Garrison.^[54] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 1339 KB) Galen and Hippokrates from Anagni Italy Photo: Nina Aldin Thune File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hippocrates Metadata This file contains additional information, probably... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 1339 KB) Galen and Hippokrates from Anagni Italy Photo: Nina Aldin Thune File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hippocrates Metadata This file contains additional information, probably... For other uses, see Galen (disambiguation). ... Anagni, (Latin Anagnia) is an ancient town in Latium, Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome, famous for its connections with the papacy and for the picturesque monuments of its unspoiled historical center. ... Colonel Fielding Hudson Garrison, MD (November 5, 1870 - April 18, 1935) was an acclaimed medical historian, bibliographer, and librarian of medicine. ...

After Hippocrates, the next significant physician was Galen, a Greek who lived from 129 to 200 AD. Galen perpetuated Hippocratic medicine, moving both forward and backward.^[55] In the Middle Ages, Arabs adopted Hippocratic methods.^[56] After the European Renaissance, Hippocratic methods were revived in Europe and even further expanded in the 19th century. Notable among those who employed Hippocrates' rigorous clinical techniques were Sydenham, Heberden, Charcot and Osler. Henri Huchard, a French physician, said that these revivals make up "the whole history of internal medicine".^[57] For other uses, see Galen (disambiguation). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Thomas Sydenham. ... William Heberden (1710 – May 17, 1801), English physician, was born in London. ... Categories: People stubs | French physicians | 1825 births | 1893 deaths | History of medicine ... Sir William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian-born physician. ...

Image

A conventionalized image in a Roman "portrait" bust (19th century engraving)

According to Aristotle's testimony, Hippocrates was known as "the Great Hippocrates".^[58] Concerning his disposition, Hippocrates was first portrayed as a "kind, dignified, old country doctor'" and later as "stern and forbidding".^[10] He is certainly considered wise, of very great intellect and especially as very practical. Francis Adams describes him as "strictly the physician of experience and common sense".^[17] 1881 Young Persons Cyclopedia of Persons and Places Assumming PD due to age. ... 1881 Young Persons Cyclopedia of Persons and Places Assumming PD due to age. ... For other uses, see Aristotle (disambiguation). ... Dr. Francis Adams (1796 – February 26, 1861) was a Scottish medical doctor and translator of Greek medical works. ...

Hippocrates statue, Parnassus Ave. in front of the Robert H. Crede Ambulatory Care Center

His image as the wise, old doctor is reinforced by busts of him, which wear large beards on a wrinkled face. Many physicians of the time wore their hair in the style of Jove and Asklepius. Accordingly, the busts of Hippocrates that we have could be only altered versions of portraits of these deities.^[53] Hippocrates and the beliefs that he embodied are considered medical ideals. Fielding Garrison, an authority on medical history, stated, "He is, above all, the exemplar of that flexible, critical, well-poised attitude of mind, ever on the lookout for sources of error, which is the very essence of the scientific spirit".^[57] "His figure... stands for all time as that of the ideal physician”, according to A Short History of Medicine, inspiring the medical profession since his death.^[59] For the planet see Jupiter. ... Asclepius (Greek , transliterated AsklÄ“piós; Latin Aesculapius) was the demigod of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• There is a statue of Hippocrates at the UCSF medical school on Parnassus Ave. in San Francisco, California.
  
  
  

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is one of the worlds leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. ... San Francisco redirects here. ...

Legends

Most stories of Hippocrates' life are likely to be untrue because of their inconsistency with historical evidence, and because similar or identical stories are told of other figures such as Avicenna and Socrates, suggesting a legendary origin. Even during his life, Hippocrates' renown was great, and stories of miraculous cures arose. For example, Hippocrates was supposed to have aided in the healing of Athenians during the Plague of Athens by lighting great fires as "disinfectants" and engaging in other treatments. There is a story of Hippocrates curing Perdiccas, a Macedonian king, of "love sickness". Neither of these accounts is corroborated by any historians and they are thus unlikely to have ever occurred.^[60][61][62] For the lunar crater, see Avicenna (crater). ... This page is about the Classical Greek philosopher. ... The city-state of Athens in ancient Greece was hit by a devastating epidemic, known as the Plague of Athens, during the second year of the Peloponnesian War (430 BC) when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach. ... Perdiccas II was king of Macedonia from about 454 BC to about 413 BC. He was the son of Alexander I. Categories: Stub | Macedonian monarchs ... Love sickness has historically been viewed as a mental illness brought on by the intense changes associated with falling in love. ...

Kos town: The Plane Tree of Hippocrates, under which Hippocrates is said to have worked.^[63]

Another legend concerns how Hippocrates rejected a formal request to visit the court of Artaxerxes, the King of Persia.^[64] The validity of this is accepted by ancient sources but denied by some modern ones, and is thus under contention.^[65] Another tale states that Democritus was supposed to be mad because he laughed at everything, and so he was sent to Hippocrates to be cured. Hippocrates diagnosed him as having a merely happy disposition. Democritus has since been called "the laughing philosopher".^[66] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1936, 2650 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hippocrates Oriental Plane Tree of Hippocrates Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1936, 2650 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Hippocrates Oriental Plane Tree of Hippocrates Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Port and city view of Kos town on the island Kos. ... The Plane tree of Hippocrates in Kos, Greece. ... Artaxerxes was the name of several rulers of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia: Artaxerxes I Artaxerxes II Artaxerxes III Arses of Persia is believed to have taken the royal title of Artaxerxes IV. Bessus, the Persian nobleman who murdered Darius III of Persia, renamed himself Artaxerxes when he claimed the... One of the worlds longest-lasting monarchies, the Iranian monarchy went through many transformations over the centuries, from the days of Persia to the creation of what is now modern day Iran. ... ‎ Democritus (Greek: ) was a pre-Socratic Greek materialist philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace ca. ...

Not all stories of Hippocrates portrayed him in a positive manner. In one legend, Hippocrates is said to have fled after setting fire to a healing temple in Greece. Soranus of Ephesus, the source of this story, names the temple as the one of Knidos. However centuries later, the Byzantine Greek grammarian John Tzetzes, writes that Hippocrates burned down his own temple, the Temple of Cos, speculating that he did it to maintain a monopoly of medical knowledge. This account is very much in conflict with traditional estimations of Hippocrates' personality. Other legends tell of his resurrection of Augustus's nephew; this feat was supposedly created by the erection of a statue of Hippocrates and the establishment of a professorship in his honor in Rome.^[62][60][33]

A healing temple is a religious temple devoted towards Faith healing. ... Soranus, Greek physician, born at Ephesus, lived during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian (AD 98-138). ... For the town in the southern United States, see Ephesus, Georgia. ... Knidos or Cnidus (modern-day Tekir in Turkey) is an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor, once part of the country of Caria. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... John Tzetzes, was a Byzantine poet and grammarian, known to have lived at Constantinople during the 12th century. ... This article is about the economic term. ... Look up Resurrection in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other persons named Octavian, see Octavian (disambiguation). ...

Genealogy

Hippocrates' legendary genealogy traces his paternal heritage directly to Asklepius and his maternal ancestry to Hercules.^[27] According to Tzetzes’s Chiliades, the ahnentafel of Hippocrates II is:^[67] For other uses, see Hercules (disambiguation). ... The Chiliades (more properly, the Book of Histories) is a work of the 12th century by John Tzetzes, a Byzantine grammarian. ... An Ahnentafel (or Ahnenreihe), also known as the Sosa-Stradonitz System, is a genealogical numbering system that allows one to list a persons ancestors in a particular order. ...

An image of Hippocrates on the floor of the Asclepieion of Kos, with Asklepius in the middle.

1. Hippocrates II. “The Father of Medicine”
2. Heraclides
4. Hippocrates I.
8. Gnosidicus
16. Nebrus
32. Sostratus III.
64. Theodorus II.
128. Sostratus, II.
256. Thedorus
512. Cleomyttades
1024. Crisamis
2048. Dardanus
4096. Sostatus
8192. Hippolochus
16384. Podalirius
32768. Asklepius Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In ancient Greece, an asclepieion was a healing temple, sacred to the god Asclepius. ... Asclepius (Greek , transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) was the demigod of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology. ... Asclepius (Greek , transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) was the demigod of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology. ...

Namesakes

Some clinical symptoms and signs have been named after Hippocrates as he is believed to be the first person to describe those. Hippocratic face is the change produced in the countenance by death, or long sickness, excessive evacuations, excessive hunger, and the like. Clubbing, a deformity of the fingers and fingernails, is also known as Hippocratic fingers. Hippocratic succussion is the internal splashing noise of hydropneumothorax or pyopneumothorax. Hippocratic bench (a device which uses tension to aid in setting bones) and Hippocratic cap-shaped bandage are two devices named after Hippocrates.^[68] Hippocratic Corpus and Hippocratic Oath are also his namesakes. The drink hypocras is also believed to be invented by Hippocrates. Risus sardonicus, a sustained spasming of the face muscles may also be termed the Hippocratic Smile. The Hippocratic face (facies Hippocratica in Latin) is the change produced in the countenance by death, or long sickness, excessive evacuations, excessive hunger, and the like. ... For other uses, see Clubbing (disambiguation). ... Hydropneumothorax implies presence of both air and fluid in the pleural space ( i. ... The Hypocratic bench or scamnum was a device invented by Hippocrates (c. ... Hippocrates: a conventionalized image in a Roman portrait bust (19th century engraving) Hippocrates of Cos (c. ... For other uses, see Hippocratic Oath (disambiguation). ... Hypocras (sometimes spelled Hippocras) is a drink made from wine, possibly heated, and mixed with spices, most notably cinnamon. ... Risus sardonicus is a highly characteristic, abnormal, sustained spasm of the facial muscles that is most often observed as a symptom of tetanus. ...

In modern age, a lunar crater has been named after him — the Hippocrates. Hippocratic Museum, a museum on the Greek island of Kos is dedicated to him. The Hippocrates Project is a program of the New York University Medical Center to enhance education through use of technology. Project Hippocrates (an acronym of "HIgh PerfOrmance Computing for Robot-AssisTEd Surgery") is an effort of the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science and Shadyside Medical Center, "to develop advanced planning, simulation, and execution technologies for the next generation of computer-assisted surgical robots."^[69] This is a list of the craters on the Moon. ... Hippocrates is a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. ... The Hippocratic Museum is a museum dedicated to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates on the Greek Island of Kos who was believed to have been born there. ... For other uses, see Museum (disambiguation). ... The Hippocrates Project is a program of the New York University Medical Center which works with modern technologies to enhance the learning process. It was established in 1987, presumably named after the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... Project Hippocrates is an effort of the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science and Shadyside Medical Center, to develop advanced planning, simulation, and execution technologies for the next generation of computer-assisted surgical robots. ... The School of Computer Science (SCS) at Carnegie Mellon University gained its present status as a separate school in 1988; the department of computer science was established in 1965. ...

Notes