Hippocrates

The Father of Medicine

You may have heard of the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors as they start on their medical career. Have you ever wondered why this oath is known as the Hippocratic Oath? Though the oath taken by today's physicians may have changed and evolved over the years, the original Oath of Medical Ethics was developed by Hippocrates.

This Greek physician is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is generally 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. He is widely regarded as the greatest physician of his time.

Hippocrates was born in 460BC on the island of Cos (Kos) in Greece. His father was said to be Heraclides, a physician, while his mother was Praxitela. He learned medicine from his father and grandfather, and is believed to have been trained by other well-known physicians and became a famous physician and a teacher of medicine.

He had two sons, Thessalus and Draco, who along with his son-in-law, Polybus, were his students.

He founded the Hippocratic school of medicine in Cos, which revolutionised medicine in ancient Greece, establishing it as a discipline different from other fields that it had traditionally been associated with. He started teaching his ideas at this school although he also travelled all over Greece practising his medicine.

The Hippocratic Corpus, the collection of works produced by the Hippocratic school, has contributed to the fame of this great physician. This collection of around 70 early medical works from ancient Greece is written in Ionic Greek.

The Hippocratic Oath, the most famous document of the Hippocratic Corpus, serves as a foundation for other, similar oaths and laws that define good medical practice and morals.

Hippocrates was the first physician to reject superstitions and beliefs that attributed illnesses to supernatural or divine forces. He separated the discipline of medicine from philosophy and religion, arguing that disease was not a punishment inflicted by the gods, but rather the product of environmental factors, diet and living habits. Mystical illnesses are not mentioned anywhere in the Hippocratic Corpus.

He believed that illness had a physical and rational explanation, and rejected contradictory (opposing) views of his time. Hippocrates based his medical practice on observations and on the study of the human body.

He took careful, regular notes of symptoms including complexion, pulse, fever, pains and movement and is said to have measured a patient's pulse when taking a case history to know if the patient lied. He also extended clinical observations into family history and environment.

His school achieved success by applying general diagnoses and passive treatments, while focusing on patient care and prognosis (forecast about the course of a disease). It could effectively treat diseases, which marked a great development in clinical practices.

The Hippocratic bench and other devices were used in his work.

The healing power of nature was successfully employed by this great physician in the course of his practice. Hippocratic medicine was thought to have been very kind to the patient; with treatment being gentle, and the emphasis being on keeping the patient clean and disinfected.

The work of Hippocrates was notable for its strict professionalism, discipline and rigorous (demanding) practice. He was also the first to describe clubbing of the fingers, an important diagnostic sign in chronic lung disease, lung cancer and heart disease. Due to this reason, clubbed fingers are also known as 'Hippocratic fingers'.

Hippocrates also categorised illnesses as acute(severe), chronic (serious), endemic (regularly occuring) and epidemic (prevalant and spreading rapidly). His teachings are still important to present-day students of pulmonary (of the lungs) medicine and surgery.

He was also the first documented chest surgeon.

Hippocrates taught and practised medicine throughout his life, travelling far and wide in Greece. He is thought to have died in Larissa around 370BC at the age of 83 or 90, though some say he lived to be well over 100.

The findings and teachings of Hippocrates revolutionised the world of medicine. They were so revered (venerated) that they were considered too great to be improved upon and no significant advancements of his methods were made for a long time.

After the European Renaissance, his methods were revived in Europe and were further expanded in the 19th century. Hippocrates had been portrayed as a "kind, dignified, old country doctor'" and as "stern and forbidding". He was considered to be very wise, of great intellect and very practical. He had been described as "strictly the physician of experience and common sense".