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 Hippocratic
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 of Glands,
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.