Hippocrates: a short biography and important discoveries made for humanity. Hippocrates, his contribution to the formation and development of medicine Hippocrates contribution to medicine summary

The name of the brilliant Hippocrates, who lived in the 5th century BC. (460-377 BC), famous to contemporaries for the oath that doctors take today when entering the noble service of saving people. The ancient Greek philosopher, talented doctor, natural scientist, and reformer of medical science can easily be called the “father of medicine,” because thanks to his work several centuries ago, the foundation of medical knowledge and the ethical principles of the medical profession were laid.

For a long time, historians have tried to collect information about the life of an individual. Some information about the philosopher is somewhat contradictory, so most of the data from the biography of Hippocrates is inaccurate, and some are even fictitious.

Biographers tried to put together a real picture of the doctor’s life path, his story. The basis is taken from the works of Soranus of Ephesus (Roman historian), who was the first to describe the biography of the ancient Greek reformer, memoirs (student, philosopher), as well as later references to the extensive corpus of writings of the doctor himself.

A naturalist was born on about. Kos (the coast of Turkey today). Hippocrates' father was also a healer, his name was Heraclides, his mother was Phenareta (Praxitia according to other sources).

The “Horse Tamer” (Hippocrates in translation from Greek) began to study medicine in a temple built in honor of the god of medicine Asclepius, but he received the basics of science from his father and grandfather, who were popular among the people for their talent in the field of medical practice.


Ruins of the Kos Asklepion, where Hippocrates studied

In his youth, Hippocrates became a student of the philosophers of that time - Gorgias, who helped him improve his existing knowledge. Having an inquisitive nature, the future doctor decided to continue his development and travel around the world to comprehend the unknown.

Greece gave birth to many doctors, and fate allowed them to meet Hippocrates. Obsessed with a thirst for knowledge, the young man absorbed every word about science and carefully studied the tables painted on the walls of various temples of Asclepius.

Medicine

During the life of Hippocrates, illiterate people firmly believed that diseases arise due to witchcraft, and illnesses are sent by evil spirits of the other world. The philosophy of the ancient doctor turned out to be distinctive and innovative, because he believed that everything happens in a natural, natural way. Hippocrates developed a scientific approach to medical beliefs and proved the falsity of invented theories. He treated people in cities and countries.


The great doctor and discoverer wrote works, essays that clearly stated the logic of his conclusions. The philosopher's conclusions are supported by observations and facts from life, and predictions and the course of diseases are based on living examples and cases.

Subsequently, the students of Hippocrates founded the Kos school, which gained fame and prosperity, becoming for descendants the right direction in the development of medicine.


Ancient collection of scientific discoveries of Hippocrates

Among the most striking scientific discoveries of the “father of medicine” are the following:

  1. Discoveries about human temperament. Hippocrates spoke about the classification of temperament types known today, described the diagnosis and treatment suitable for each type individually, taking into account their propensity for certain ailments.
  2. Theory of disease stages. According to the theory, Hippocrates identified a dangerous stage of the disease - “crisis”, and also spoke about the features of “critical days”.
  3. Developed methods for examining patients (auscultation, percussion, palpation). The doctor, ahead of his era, learned primitive techniques, but this was a contribution to science.
  4. Features of surgical intervention. Thanks to the knowledge and innovations of the ancient philosopher, subsequent doctors began to use bandages, masks, and caps in surgery. Hippocrates also introduced rules for conducting operations (proper lighting, arrangement of instruments).
  5. Statement of the principles of dietetics. According to the doctor, his followers realized that patients needed special food (dietary). For example, for fever - barley porridge with honey, cumin and incense, for rheumatism - boiled fish and beets.

In addition to the discoveries listed above, Hippocrates is famous for his concepts of ethics and caution in treatment. The great physician advised not to abuse medications and to trust more in nature, but during his lifetime he discovered more than 300 types of medicines. Their use is still practiced (honey, poppy infusion, milkweed juice, etc.).


Hippocrates knew how to fill teeth (the work is not preserved), set dislocations and fractures on a special bench of his own design (the photo is similar to an orthopedic table). When treating, Hippocrates paid due attention to the patient’s soul, his desire to live, and did not attribute the positive outcome of the body’s recovery solely to the merits of the attending physician.

The text of the Hippocratic Oath has undergone editorial changes during translation over the years, but the basic principles have remained unchanged, as have the quotes set out in his works. They contain special humanism, mercy, humanity towards every person. For example:

  • Commitment to others (selfless help to everyone).
  • The principle “Do no harm”.
  • Recommendations for doctors to refuse abortions to women, euthanasia to seriously ill patients, and not to dare to have a love affair with patients.
  • The principle of silence, confidentiality, mystery of the patient's problem.

In many countries of the world, a tradition has been introduced - to take the oath of the ancient Greek philosopher when receiving a medical specialist diploma in universities. Its text was repeatedly translated into different languages, sometimes losing its original meaning. In Russia, the oath has been read in Russian since 1971 as the “Oath of a Doctor of the USSR”, since 1990 - as the “Oath of a Russian Doctor”, and since 1999 it has been pronounced in the form of the “Oath of a Doctor of Russia” (new text, enshrined in Article 71) .

Personal life

It is known that the genius of medical sciences was married to a girl from a noble family living in his homeland. Their wedding took place after Hippocrates' home training. During the marriage, the couple had three children (boys Thessal, Dragon and a girl).


"Father of Medicine" Hippocrates

According to family tradition, the philosopher sent his sons to the field of healing, and legends and stories were invented about the girl. The daughter of a great doctor lived her life in Astypalaia (an island in the Aegean Sea). Here she married a man named Polybius. He was a student and follower of Hippocrates.

Death

Hippocrates left this world already in adulthood (at the age of 83-104), leaving his descendants a rich heritage in the field of medicine and philosophy. He died in the city of Larissa (Thessalian Valley in Greece), and his grave is located in the Girton area. In modern times, a monument to Hippocrates was erected in Larissa - a popular excursion site in the city.

Some sources say that a swarm of bees formed at the doctor’s grave. Female nurses often came here to take healing honey to treat ulcers in children by rubbing it.


After his death, Hippocrates acquired the “title” of demigod among the people. The inhabitants of the doctor’s native island annually performed sacrifices in his honor according to the theory of divine cult. There is also an opinion that in the other world the philosopher became a healer of souls.

The works of the “father of medicine” during the period of war, fires and destruction of Greece were in the Alexandria Library, after which they were taken to Constantinople, so the doctor’s work was saved and preserved.

The legends about the smartest doctor of antiquity have not been confirmed by historians, but their presence cannot be canceled. Here are some of them:

  • One day Hippocrates arrived in Athens, where a terrible plague was raging. He carried out medical measures and saved the city from mortality.
  • When the philosopher was engaged in medical research and healing in Macedonia, he had to treat the king. Hippocrates identified a disease in the ruler called aggravation, which means an unintentional exaggeration of one’s own illness.
  • From the memoirs of a random companion of Hippocrates, it is said that together they met the same girl twice with a short interval of time. The doctor was able to recognize the loss of innocence of the shepherdess after their second meeting. He did it by gait.

Hippocrates Quotes

  • “If sleep eases suffering, the disease is not fatal”
  • “Disease always comes from either excess or deficiency, that is, from imbalance.”
  • “Some diseases come only from lifestyle”

The doctors of the island of Kos, where, according to legend, Asclepius lived, considered themselves to be his family and were called Asclepiads. These included the great Greek physician Hippocrates, who was born on the island of Kos around 460 BC. There is very little reliable information about the life of Hippocrates, since his first biographies were written several centuries after his death and therefore bear the imprint of the legend with which his name was surrounded.

The teachings of Hippocrates unite medical ideas that had developed in Greece by the 4th century. BC. Here are the main provisions of the medical school he founded on the island of Kos:

Careful examination of the patient. Each organism has its own characteristics; it is necessary to treat not the disease, but the patient. Great importance is attached to the healing powers of nature, the ability of a person to self-heal, which should be helped by a doctor.

The dependence of human health on the harmonious combination of four fluids in his body: blood, mucus, bile and black bile, as well as the amount of “natural warmth”, which is supported by a special subtle substance - pneum, constantly circulating in human vessels.

Diet, regimen and gymnastics played an important role in the prevention of diseases. Hippocrates is credited with the expression: “Just as clothiers clean cloth by knocking out dust from it, so gymnastics cleanses the body.”

The customs of the Greeks forbade opening the corpses of the dead, and the anatomical knowledge of doctors of the V-IV centuries. BC. were based on animal dissection. As the best school for surgeons, Hippocrates recommended accompanying troops on military campaigns.

Barley decoction was often used to treat acute diseases, and water with honey, vinegar or wine was used as healing drinks. Periodic cleansing of the body with emetics and laxatives was recommended. According to the humoral theory, the cause of many diseases was excess blood in the human body, and therefore a common means of treating and preventing them was bloodletting. It was believed that it was very useful to combine the treatment of chronic diseases with running, music and singing. A healthy lifestyle and moderation in everything are essential conditions for maintaining health. The popular sayings of Greek philosophers and doctors are: “Everything in moderation”, “Nothing in excess”. Hippocrates wrote in Epidemics: “Work, food, sleep, love - everything should be in moderation.”

The first collection of works by ancient Greek doctors, the Hippocratic Collection, was compiled many years after the death of Hippocrates, in the 3rd century BC. It is not known exactly what part of these works belongs to Hippocrates’ students and what part belongs to him: according to the tradition of that time, doctors did not sign their works. The works, which reflect the medical ideas of the Greeks, are united by the name of Hippocrates. According to ancient historians, “the books written by Hippocrates are known and valued by everyone in contact with medical science as the voice of God, and not as coming from the lips of men.”

Most researchers believe that the most outstanding works of the Hippocratic Collection belong to Hippocrates himself. Let's name some of them:

1. “Aphorisms” (from the Greek “aphorismos” - a complete thought). They contain instructions on the treatment of diseases. “Aphorisms” begin with the famous words: “Life is short, the path of art is long, opportunity is fleeting, experience is deceptive, judgment is difficult. Therefore, not only the doctor himself must use everything that is necessary, but also the patient, those around him, and all external circumstances must contribute to the doctor in his activities.”

2. “Forecasting” (from the Greek “prognosis” - foresight, prediction). This essay describes in detail the elements that make up the prognosis of the disease (observation, examination and questioning of the patient), and outlines the basics of observation and treatment at the patient’s bedside.

3. “Epidemics” (from the Greek “epidemia” - general disease). In ancient Greece, the word “epidemic” did not mean infectious, contagious diseases, but those that were widespread and especially common in a particular area.

4. “About airs, waters and places.” This is the first medical work of the Greeks that has come down to us, which examines the causes of diseases depending on the specific properties of the surrounding nature. It was believed that a person’s place of residence (south, east, highlands, fertile valley, marshy area, etc.) determines his character and physique, as well as his susceptibility to certain diseases.

“The Hippocratic Collection” contains essays on medical ethics: “Oath”, “Law”, “On the Doctor”, “On Decent Behavior” and “Instructions”. Pointing out, first of all, that it is not the disease that should be treated, but the patient, they talk about the need to remember the main thing: “first of all, do no harm.” Later, this thesis became widespread in the medical literature.

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Hippocrates' contribution to the development of medicine and pharmacy

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The most prominent physician of this era in Ancient Greece was Hippocrates. The very first biographies of Hippocrates were written no earlier than several centuries after his death. Their authors were not contemporaries of Hippocrates, and therefore their narratives bear the imprint of the legend that surrounded the name of the great physician.

The doctrine developed by Hippocrates on the treatment of fractures (the use of traction, splints), dislocations, and wounds of various kinds makes it very likely that he participated in wars as a doctor. He advises a young doctor who wants to study surgery to accompany the troops on a campaign. The legacy of Hippocrates and other doctors of Ancient Greece is summarized in the “Hippocratic Collection,” which is an encyclopedia of the classical period in the history of ancient Greek medicine. It was compiled in the 3rd century. BC e. in the famous Library of Alexandria, founded by the successors of Alexander the Great - the Ptolemies, rulers of Hellenistic Egypt. The “Hippocratic Collection” brings together about 70 essays on a variety of medical topics. Hippocrates himself is the author of the most fundamentally important parts (“On airs, waters and places”, “Prognostics”, “Epidemics”, “On head wounds”, “On fractures”, etc.). Other works included in the “Hippocratic Collection” were written by students, followers of Hippocrates, in particular the son and son-in-law of Hippocrates. Hippocrates had like-minded people, students and followers.

Hippocrates had real ideas about pharmacy of that time, its opportunities, difficulties and goals. He was a physician-philosopher who combined extensive medical experience with a great understanding of people and the surrounding nature. He was tirelessly concerned about the dignity of the doctor. He had a deep disgust for charlatans who defame high art.

Hippocrates created the theory of storing medicines and the classification of their effects on the body. However, his system “nature heals, and the doctor only helps” and the statement that medicinal substances have some kind of power, how long it should be, the preparation of medicines must be stored, tightly closing the containers, so that under the influence of weathering the dignity of the medicines is not exhaled, which seems to have fainted state - idealistic.

Among the medicines in the time of Hippocrates, they used mucus, sweet, oliist, fatty, viscous, pungent, aromatic, resinous, balsamic and narcotic substances (for example, poppy, mandrake). Almost no mixture of substances was used. Herbal preparations were used in the form of decoctions or infusions or juices and resins (balm).The teaching of Hippocrates separated medicine through religion and brought it to the path of scientific research.

Hippocrates sought an explanation for the disease in the material factors that determine it, and in changes in these factors. He believed that every disease has its own natural cause, and nothing happens without a natural cause. The natural causes of the disease lie primarily in the external environment surrounding a person. Hippocrates considered the general causes of illness to be those whose action causes illness in a number of people.

Here Hippocrates included the time of year, air temperature, climate, properties of soil and water in a given area, epidemics, miasma. Along with this, Hippocrates noted in many cases the individual causes of illnesses of individual people, including lifestyle, diet, a person’s age, heredity and tendency to certain suffering.

There is also a lot of rationality contained in Hippocrates’ instructions on caring for wounds, applying bandages, etc. An important merit of Hippocrates was that he successfully applied the achievements of contemporary ancient Greek philosophy - the materialism of Democritus and the dialectics of Heraclitus - to the analysis of medical phenomena and gave them a materialistic interpretation at the level of knowledge of his time. For Hippocrates, disease is a manifestation of the life of the body as a result of a change in the material substrate, and not a manifestation of divine will, an evil spirit. By this he rejected the provisions of priestly medicine. Hippocrates sought an explanation for the disease in the material factors that determine it, and in changes in these factors.

He believed that every disease has its own natural cause, and nothing happens without a natural cause. The natural causes of the disease lie primarily in the external environment surrounding a person. Many of Hippocrates' "Aphorisms" testify to a number of guesses that were approaching a correct understanding of the essence and causes of some suffering. Along with this, in “Aphorisms” and other works there are judgments that reflect the general low level of anatomical, physiological and medical ideas of the ancient world. In the teachings of Hippocrates, attention was paid to both the patient’s body and the external environment, living conditions, and surroundings. Hippocrates demanded that, first of all, the “nature” of the patient, his “physique” be taken into account and in every possible way stimulate the “natural abilities” of the body. He was wary of forcibly interfering with the “natural” course of pathological processes, calling, first of all, “not to harm.”

Recognizing that the causes of diseases are always natural, Hippocrates saw the basis for curing a patient in the use of the natural properties of the body by the doctor. The doctor’s task, taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body, is to help the forces of nature. The basis of Hippocratic therapy is the belief in the healing properties of nature. “Nature is the doctor of diseases,” so the doctor must adhere to the path outlined by nature. Hippocrates recommended observing the patient at different times of the day, during sleep and wakefulness, in a variety of states. Hippocrates looked at disease as a changing phenomenon.

The disease has a beginning, middle and end, three stages:

a) dampness,

b) welding,

c) eruptions. Hippocrates' powers of observation allowed him to accurately describe some diseases and symptoms; he described the face of a seriously ill patient, the thickening of the terminal phalanges of the fingers (“Hippocrates’ fingers”), “the sound of splashing. Along with the diseases of adults, Hippocrates dealt with the diseases of children. He gave a description of the pig. He paid special attention to diseases of newborns and infants.

The pediatric statements of Hippocrates had a great influence on the subsequent works of doctors of antiquity (Soranus of Ephesus, Oribasia), European doctors of the Middle Ages (Salerno school), representatives of the medicine of the peoples of the East (Ar-Razp, Ibn-Sina, etc.) and doctors of the Renaissance. Hippocrates devoted a significant place in treatment to diet, which he understood broadly in the sense of not only food, but also general hygiene. He did not neglect medicinal treatment and made extensive use of the experience of traditional medicine. . The “Hippocratic Collection” lists more than 250 plant and 50 animal remedies used as medicines: diaphoretics, laxatives, emetics, diuretics, etc.

Hippocrates - brief biography, his contribution to the development of medicine

P . Metal salts were used in medicines for external use. Hippocrates prescribed cupping and performed bloodletting. He recommended being careful, taking into account the body’s reaction, not rushing, and not quickly replacing one medicine with another. Along with rational therapy, Hippocrates also had magical elements. He believed that acute diseases end on the 7th day, and chronic diseases on the 21st day, and that diseases occur more often in odd years and dates. Hippocrates used the method of treating “the opposite of the opposite”: “Overflow heals emptying, emptying heals overflow... work heals rest and, conversely, rest heals labor.

Hippocrates paid a lot of attention to the issues of surgery: to stop bleeding, it was recommended to give the limbs an elevated position, to use cold, compression, hemostatic agents, cauterization; in case of injury, rest was recommended; in case of dislocations and fractures, immovable bandages were recommended. In a number of cases, Hippocrates vigorously intervened in the course of the disease. “Severe illnesses require the strongest medicines.” Hippocrates attached great importance to prognosis, prediction, and the doctor's prediction of the further course of the disease. Hippocrates devoted a special work to this issue, Prognostics. In the famous "The Doctor's Oath" Hippocrates defined the relationship between doctor and patient, as well as between doctors. The “Oath” did not represent the original work of Hippocrates or his contemporaries: very similar content of the professional obligations of doctors was found in earlier sources in Egypt and India. Later, it entered medical practice in a number of countries, including Russia. In a slightly modified form, this obligation has been preserved to this day in many countries as an oath or solemn obligation of doctors graduating from medical faculties.

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Hippocrates as the founder of scientific medicine and reformer of the medical school of antiquity. The emergence of the doctrine of human temperament. Maintaining medical confidentiality. Commitment to teachers, colleagues and students. Refusal of intimate relationships with patients.

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Hippocrates (I o) (460 BC, Kos Island 377 BC (according to other sources 356 BC), near Larissa, Thessaly), ancient Greek physician, reformer of ancient medicine. He received his medical education under the guidance of his father Heraclides; Hippocrates' mother, Phenarete, was a midwife. It is believed that Hippocrates belonged to the 17th generation of the medical family from which the Kos school of doctors emerged. Hippocrates led the life of a wandering doctor (periodeutus) in Greece, Asia Minor, Libya; visited the shores of the Black Sea, visited the Scythians, which allowed him to become acquainted with the medicine of the peoples of Western Asia and Egypt. The works that have come down to us under the name of Hippocrates are a collection of 59 works by various authors, collected together by scientists at the Library of Alexandria. The following works are most often attributed to Hippocrates himself: On air, water and terrain, Prognostics, Diet in acute diseases, 1st and 3rd books of Epidemics, Aphorisms, Reduction of joints, Fractures, Wounds of the head.

The merit of Hippocrates was the liberation of medicine from the influences of priestly and temple medicine and the determination of the path of its independent development. Hippocrates taught that the doctor should treat not the disease, but the patient, taking into account the individual characteristics of the body and the environment. He proceeded from the idea of ​​the determining influence of environmental factors on the formation of a person’s physical (constitution) and mental (temperament) properties. Hippocrates identified these factors (climate, state of water, soil, people's lifestyle, laws of the country, etc.) from the point of view of their influence on humans. Hippocrates was the founder of medical geography.

Hippocrates: contribution to science

He distinguished by temperament 4 main types of people: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. He developed questions of etiology, while denying the supernatural, divine origin of diseases. He established the main stages of the development of the disease and developed diagnostic issues. He put forward 4 principles of treatment: to benefit and not harm, to treat the opposite with the opposite, to help nature and, being careful, to spare the patient.

Hippocrates is also known as an outstanding surgeon; developed methods for using bandages, treating fractures and dislocations, wounds, fistulas, hemorrhoids, empyemas. Hippocrates is credited with the text of the so-called medical oath (Hippocratic oath), which succinctly formulates the moral standards of behavior for a doctor (although the original version of the oath existed in Egypt). Hippocrates is called the father of medicine.

Hippocrates(ancient Greek, lat. Hippocrates) (about 460 BC, Kos island - about 370 BC, Larissa) - famous ancient Greek healer, doctor and philosopher. He went down in history as the “father of medicine.”

Hippocrates is a historical figure. Mentions of the “great Asclepiad physician” are found in the works of his contemporaries - Plato and Aristotle. Collected in the so-called The “Hippocratic Corpus” of 60 medical treatises (of which modern researchers attribute from 8 to 18 to Hippocrates) had a significant influence on the development of medicine, both practice and science.

The name of Hippocrates is associated with the idea of ​​high moral character and ethical behavior of a doctor. The Hippocratic Oath contains the fundamental principles that should guide a doctor in his practice. Taking an oath (which has varied significantly over the centuries) upon receiving a medical diploma has become a tradition.

Origin and biography

Biographical data about Hippocrates is extremely scattered and contradictory. Today, there are several sources that describe the life and origins of Hippocrates. These include:

  • works of the Roman physician Soranus of Ephesus, born more than 400 years after the death of Hippocrates
  • Byzantine encyclopedic dictionary of the 10th century Suda
  • works of the Byzantine poet and grammarian of the 12th century John Tzetz.

Information about Hippocrates is also found in Plato, Aristotle and Galen.

According to legends, Hippocrates was a descendant of the ancient Greek god of medicine Asclepius on his father’s side, and Hercules on his mother’s side. John Tzetz even gives the family tree of Hippocrates:

  • Asclepius
  • Podalirium
  • Hippolochus
  • Sostratus
  • Dardan
  • Chrysamis
  • Cleomitted
  • Theodore
  • Sostratus II
  • Theodore II
  • Sostratus III
  • Gnosidik
  • Hippocrates I
  • Heraclides
  • Hippocrates II "father of medicine"

Although this information is hardly reliable, it indicates that Hippocrates belonged to the Asclepiad family. The Asclepiads were a dynasty of doctors who claimed descent from the god of medicine himself.

Hippocrates was born around 460 BC. e. on the island of Kos in the eastern Aegean Sea.

From the works of Soranus of Ephesus one can judge the family of Hippocrates. According to his works, Hippocrates' father was the physician Heraclides, and his mother was Phenareta. (According to another version, the name of Hippocrates' mother was Praxitea.) Hippocrates had two sons - Thesallus and Draco, as well as a daughter, whose husband Polybus, according to the ancient Roman physician Galen, became his successor. Each of the sons named their child in honor of the famous grandfather Hippocrates.

In his writings, Soranus of Ephesus writes that initially Hippocrates’ medicine was taught in the Asklepion of Kos by his father Heraclides and grandfather Hippocrates, hereditary Asclepiad doctors. He also studied with the famous philosopher Democritus and sophist Gorgias. For the purpose of scientific improvement, Hippocrates also traveled a lot and studied medicine in different countries from the practice of local doctors and from tables that were hung on the walls of the temples of Asclepius. Mentions of the legendary doctor from contemporaries are found in Plato’s dialogues “Protagoras” and “Phaedrus”, as well as in Aristotle’s “Politics”.

Hippocrates devoted his entire long life to medicine. Among the places where he treated people are mentioned Thessaly, Thrace, Macedonia, as well as the coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara. He died at an old age in the city of Larisa, where a monument was erected to him.

Hippocratic Corps

The name of the famous physician Hippocrates, who laid the foundations of medicine as a science, is associated with a heterogeneous collection of medical treatises known as the Hippocratic Corpus.

Hippocrates: a short biography and important discoveries made for humanity

The vast majority of the writings of the Corpus were composed between 430 and 330 BC. e. They were collected in Hellenistic times, in the middle of the 3rd century BC. e. in Alexandria.

Hippocrates short biography

Hippocrates (460 -377 BC) is a native of the island of Kos, which is located in the Aegean Sea and is an island of Greece.

Hippocrates' contribution to medicine.

Hippocrates went down in history as the “father of medicine.” He is the son of a talented doctor. According to one version, Hippocrates belongs to the 17th generation of hereditary doctors. Hippocrates' first teacher of medicine was his father Heraclides. It is known about Hippocrates' mother Phenarete that she was a midwife.

Hippocrates traveled around many countries due to his professional activities. In each state, Hippocrates learned something new. For example, the Scythians gave him knowledge of folk medicine of Western Asia and Egypt.

Hippocrates was not only a good doctor and healer, he was also one of the wonderful philosophers and writers of Antiquity. His works on medical topics are still very relevant today.

Hippocrates made a real revolution in ancient medicine. The talented doctor moved away from priestly, temple treatment and showed medicine his own individual path of existence. The foundation of his teaching was that it was the patient who should be treated, not his illness. He said that each patient has his own unique properties and qualities, and treatment must be selected for each patient individually.

Hippocrates is also considered the founder of medical geography. He identified the following basic types among people according to the type of development of physical and mental qualities: choleric, melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic. He was against the supernatural, divine nature of diseases, and relied on the foundations of only etiology. Considering the stages of disease progression and diagnostic methods, he proposed four basic rules of treatment: do not harm the patient, eliminate like with like, do not harm the environment, spare the patient.

Hippocrates was also famous as a wonderful surgeon. He easily succumbed to fractures, dislocations, and various wounds. Hippocrates is considered the author of the well-known medical oath, which speaks of the moral principles of the relationship between doctor and patient. However, a similar text of the oath was developed in Ancient Egypt.

Hippocrates quotes

  • 00The doctor treats diseases, but nature heals.
  • 00Neither satiety, nor hunger, nor anything else is good if you exceed the measure of nature.
  • 00Idleness and idleness entail depravity and ill health - on the contrary, the aspiration of the mind towards something brings with it vigor, eternally aimed at strengthening life.
  • 00The opposite is cured by the opposite.
  • 00Persons exposed to daily labor endure it, even if they are weak and old, more easily than people who are strong and young - without habit.
  • 00Medicine is truly the noblest of all arts.
  • 00Our nutritive substances must be medicinal substances, and our medicinal substances must be nutritive substances.
  • 00Do no harm (to the patient).
  • 00Marriage is a fever in reverse: it begins with heat and ends with cold.
  • 00The doctor is a philosopher: there is no big difference between wisdom and medicine.
  • 00Gymnastics, physical exercise, and walking should become firmly established in the everyday life of everyone who wants to maintain efficiency, health, and a full and joyful life.
  • 00The effects of dietary supplements are long-lasting, while the effects of medications are transient.
  • 00The human soul develops until death.
  • 00Life is short, the path of art is long, opportunity is fleeting, experience is deceptive, judgment is difficult. Therefore, not only the doctor himself must use everything that is necessary, but also the patient, those around him, and all external circumstances must contribute to the doctor in his activities.
  • 00Just as cloth workers clean cloth, knocking it free of dust, so gymnastics cleanses the body.
  • 00Drunkenness of fathers and mothers is the cause of weakness and sickness in children.
  • 00How many stars are there in the sky, so many deceptions are hidden in a woman’s heart.
13

Positive psychology 29.11.2017

Dear readers, today we will talk to you about Hippocrates. Everyone has heard about his oath, and patients often call on the medical community to be faithful to its postulates. But who is Hippocrates himself, what did he do for the development of health science? Why is he called the “father of medicine”? And was he a real person or a character from a beautiful ancient legend?

In recent years, discussions about medical ethics have intensified. Doctors and other health care workers are accused of either negligence or violation of moral standards. They are required to be completely dedicated, almost to perform feats in the field of saving our health. Which, more often than not, we ourselves have pretty much undermined.

The Whistleblowers appeal to the Hippocratic Oath, although most of us have never read it and don't know what it proclaims. But there is also the other side of the problem: the attitude of society, the state, and doctors. The current wave of staff reductions and “optimization” of medical institutions is leading to a deterioration in the quality of medical services.

Cases of attacks on ambulance workers, doctors in emergency rooms and inpatient departments are not uncommon. There were also tragic situations, like the recent story of an obstetrician from the Angarsk Perinatal Center, who passed away after a “work shift” that lasted about 30 hours.

Opponents will answer that there are many shocking stories about the perpetrators “on the other side of the barricades.” And they will also be right.

I even wonder how the great Hippocrates would have behaved in some of the current special circumstances? To at least get closer to the answer, let us remember what we know about his personality and fate. We will also talk about the works of Hippocrates and touch a little on the facts of his biography.

In the annals of history

When contemporaries talk about Hippocrates, it seems to many that he is an exclusively legendary, not real person. But this is not so: such a healer actually lived in Ancient Greece about two and a half thousand years ago. We can assert this by referring to the works of philosophers of that time - Aristotle and Plato. Some works have also reached us, the author of which is considered by science to be the “father of medicine”.

And five centuries later, his first official short biography was compiled by the Roman historian Soranus of Ephesus. In addition to mentioning famous contemporaries, the researcher relied in his research on rare bits of autobiographical information that Hippocrates himself left in his writings.

The dates of life of the ancient Greek Aesculapius are considered to be 460 - 377 BC. That is, he lived for a very long time at that time: 83 years. Contemporaries attributed him to the Asclepiads, that is, followers and even successors of the family of Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine. They preached healing methods as close as possible to human nature, combined with the involvement of religious rituals.

It was a fairly closed “corporation”, where great attention was paid to the continuity of generations. The Asclepiads cultivated nepotism in the good sense of the word. Knowledge in the field of healing was recommended to be passed on to close relatives.

There were also students from outside, but this practice was not particularly encouraged: after all, this craft was quite profitable, and transferring its secrets into the wrong hands was simply irrational. Although, for a fee, they could teach the basics of the profession to any willing and sufficiently capable applicant. Sounds a lot like today's corporate policy with its trade secrets, doesn't it?

So our hero developed his own work dynasty: he received his skills from his father, Heraclides, and then his sons Thessalus and Dragon, and son-in-law Polybus also took up healing. Hippocrates himself improved in this difficult art, traveling to different countries, taking a closer look at the peculiarities of the work of local healers.

In those days, it was customary to hang votive tables in temples dedicated to Asclepius (in the Roman version - Aesculapius), which formulated the basics of the approach to treatment. They were also studied everywhere by an inquisitive healer before becoming a recognized authority in this area of ​​knowledge and skills.

In addition to this professional knowledge, he sought to improve both in the field of eloquence and in comprehending the philosophical foundations of existence. He took lessons from outstanding philosophers - Democritus and Gorgias.

Fundamentals of the teachings of Hippocrates

Why is the legacy of this scientist and the practice of antiquity so valuable? His theoretical calculations and generalized experience are collected in a number of medical treatises. There is the so-called “Hippocratic Corpus” of 60 works. How many of them belong to the “father of medicine” himself is still not known exactly; different analysts give numbers from 8 to 18. The remaining treatises are attributed to his students, primarily his sons.

Most biographers of the great aesculapian and humanist quite reasonably consider such works as those written by Hippocrates: “On Joints”, “Prognostics”, “On Fractures”, “On Airs, Waters and Terrains”, “On Diet for Acute Diseases”, “On Winds” ”, this also includes the first and third books of “Epidemics”, the first four sections of “Aphorisms”, as well as ethical instructions “Law”, “Instructions”, “On decent behavior”, “On the doctor”, “Oath”.

The approach to treatment itself, substantiated in these studies and confirmed by decades of successful medical practice, was innovative and even revolutionary.

Then, several centuries BC, ailments were explained by the influence of evil spirits, witchcraft and other mystical reasons. Hippocrates stated that malfunctions in the human body arise for completely natural reasons. If they are identified in time, then it will be quite possible to cope with diseases.

The doctor was very observant. For many years, decades, he tracked, systematized, and recorded the signs of various diseases, and from the analysis of detailed conversations with patients, he drew conclusions about the causes of ailments.

This scientific approach, already during his lifetime, made Hippocrates a true legend, the true heir of Asclepius. And his followers united in the Kos school, the glory of which has not faded to this day. Together they created a solid foundation for modern medicine.

The observant researcher named the environment and our daily habits as the main factors influencing people's health.

Natural conditions are the climate of the area, the prevailing winds, the general condition of the air, water, soil - all this is our world, with which we not only come into contact, but constantly interact.

The great reformer also understood the importance of hereditary factors, the baggage that a person receives by right of birth. Finally, we must take into account the conditions in which we live - what we eat, how intensely we work, whether we sleep well and long enough, etc.

Here is how Hippocrates reflects on the role of examining a patient: “Inspecting the body is a whole undertaking: it requires knowledge, hearing, smell, touch, language, reasoning.” He himself really peers inquisitively, listens, and constantly writes something down. His treatises include descriptions of the features of a particular area with their impact on the health of residents, and brief notes and discussions, and sketches of particularly interesting cases from practice, and brilliant breakthroughs in generalizations.

Let me give you one more quote from the first book of Epidemics. Although it is extensive, it will say a lot about the thoroughness of the approach to diagnosis that our hero preached.

“As for all those circumstances in diseases on the basis of which a diagnosis should be made, we learn all this from the general nature of all people and each person’s own, from the disease and from the patient, from everything that is prescribed, and from the one who prescribes , because this also makes the sick feel either better or worse; in addition, from the general and particular state of heavenly phenomena and every country, from habit, from the way of eating, from the type of life, from the age of each patient, from the speech of the patient, morals, silence, thoughts, sleep, lack of sleep, from dreams, what they are and when they appear; from twitching, from itching, from tears, from paroxysms, from eruptions, from urine, from sputum, from vomiting. One must also look at changes in diseases, from which ones they arise, and at deposits leading to death or destruction, then sweat, chills, coldness of the body, coughing, sneezing, hiccups, inhalations, belching, winds silent or noisy, discharge blood, hemorrhoids. Based on all these signs and what happens through them, research should be conducted.”

Please note, dear readers, how broad the healer’s approach is: he considers it necessary to take into account both the manner of speaking and even the silence of the patient. He strives to look into his train of thought, and the range of subtleties of physiological manifestations is simply amazing. In the absence of clinical studies at that time, these observations could really become decisive in the fight against dangerous diseases.

In his writings on the fundamentals of surgery, he talks about a fairly extensive arsenal of surgical instruments of that time, and in addition, he describes various methods of dressings and medications that were used. He did not ignore therapeutic diets, hygiene issues, and other aspects of an integrated approach to health.

And there are spots on the “sun of medicine”?

When we say “legendary personality,” it is not only a tribute to a great person. We must understand that the stories told about him are partly legends, the authenticity of which we cannot confirm.

So we can say little with confidence about Hippocrates. They tell how he once stopped a plague epidemic in Athens, gathering into a fist all the organizational and medical resources of the capital. Then, as biographers assure, the healer saved the ruler of Macedonia, who developed a severe phobia based on increased suspiciousness and fear of disease.

An episode with the thinker Democritus is often mentioned in various sources. Residents of Abdera considered the philosopher crazy, and called on the medical luminary to officially confirm their “popular diagnosis.” The grounds for such serious conclusions seemed to lie on the surface: Democritus often embarrassed those around him with loud, causeless laughter.

Hippocrates, after a thorough examination and a long conversation with the sage, came to the conclusion that he was absolutely sane. And the philosopher’s laughter was caused by human actions, insignificant matters with which we are constantly preoccupied, not noticing anything high, eternal around us, not appreciating moments of true happiness, not striving to understand world harmony.

But particularly corrosive biographers find other facts in his track record. They do not fit into the pastoral picture of the absolute “goodness” of the healer. But they fit perfectly into the realities of that difficult time.

Once he refused to treat a certain patient, whom historians call Caesar of Sueton. He suffered from hypertension, but Hippocrates refused the former warrior’s relatives a course of herbal treatment. The reason was trivial: the family was unable to pay for his miraculous infusions and decoctions. And it would be fine if the refusal was honest. But from mouth to mouth, from century to century, an ugly story is passed on that the healer allegedly gave the wrong diagnosis - migraine. As a result, the patient did not turn to other doctors, and after a new hypertensive crisis he died.

There was another case when Hippocrates actually resorted to euthanasia, offering poison to a seriously insolvent patient. There, the responsibility for making decisions was shared by the poor fellows' relatives, but this does not change the essence.

Were these and similar stories real or were they invented by envious competitors of Hippocrates? We will probably never know. But there was competition for rich clients, this is an indisputable fact. It still exists, and we cannot be sure of the complete impartiality of those into whose hands we entrust our health. But all this does not detract from the merits of the great healer, who devoted his entire life to the holy cause of studying human nature and developed fundamental methods for maintaining health.

I suggest you watch a short documentary about the life of Hippocrates.

Hippocratic Oath

The text of this oath, which is taken by doctors in different countries of the world, exists in slightly different versions. But these distinctive details are insignificant. In the legacy of Hippocrates there are many pages devoted to the professional ethics of doctors. The modern version of the text of the “Hippocratic Oath” is based on these postulates, but these are not the author’s formulations of the most famous aesculapian of antiquity. The text was clearly written later, after his death, by students, followers of the great Mentor. And it would be more correct to say, not an oath, but the Hippocratic oath.

And today, practically in the form in which it exists to this day, the Medical Commandment saw the light of day in Geneva in 1848. Compared to the instructions used by doctors in previous centuries, this is a more compact, abbreviated version.

Text of the Hippocratic oath (oath) in Russian

“I swear by Apollo, the physician Asclepius, Hygeia and Panacea, all the gods and goddesses, taking them as witnesses, to honestly fulfill, according to my strength and my understanding, the following oath and written obligation: to consider the one who taught me the art of medicine on an equal basis with my parents, to share with him my income and, if necessary, help him with his needs; consider his offspring as his brothers. This art, if they want to study it, can be taught to them free of charge and without any contract; communicate instructions, oral lessons and everything else in the teaching to your sons, the sons of your teacher and students bound by an obligation and oath according to the medical law, but to no one else.

I direct the treatment of the sick to their benefit in accordance with my strength and my understanding, refraining from causing any harm or injustice. I will not give anyone the deadly means they ask from me and I will not show the way for such a plan; in the same way, I will not give any woman an abortion pessary. I will conduct my life and my art purely and immaculately. Whatever house I enter, I will enter there for the benefit of the sick, being far from anything intentional, unrighteous and harmful, especially from love affairs with women and men, free and slaves.

Whatever, during treatment - and also without treatment - I see or hear about human life that should never be disclosed, I will keep silent about it, considering such things a secret. May I, who inviolably fulfill my oath, be given happiness in life and in art and glory among all people for eternity, but to those who transgress and give a false oath, may the opposite be true.”

Let me explain that Hygeia (Hygiea) and Panacea (Panacia, Panacea) are the daughters of the god of healing Asclepius. From the name of the first came the name of the section of medicine “hygiene”, and from the name of the second - the term “panacea”, that is, an ideal medicine with a wide spectrum of action. An abortifacient pessary is a medicine, most often in the form of an herbal infusion, that causes bleeding and miscarriage.

Hippocrates (ancient Greek Ἱπποκράτης, lat. Hippocrates) (about 460 BC, Kos island - between 377 and 356 BC, Larissa). Famous ancient Greek doctor. He went down in history as the “father of medicine.”

Hippocrates is a historical figure. Mentions of the “great doctor-Asclepiad” are found in the works of his contemporaries - and. Collected in the so-called The “Hippocratic Corpus” of 60 medical treatises (of which modern researchers attribute to Hippocrates from 8 to 18) had a significant impact on the development of medicine - both science and specialty.

The name of Hippocrates is associated with the idea of ​​high moral character and ethical behavior of a doctor. The Hippocratic Oath contains the fundamental principles that should guide a doctor in his practice. Taking an oath (which has varied significantly over the centuries) upon receiving a medical diploma has become a tradition.

"Hippocratic Oath"(although in fact it does not belong to Hippocrates at all). After Hippocrates died in 377 BC, this oath did not exist. There were “Instructions” of Hippocrates, and descendants also inherited various versions of the texts of the “oaths”.

The Hippocratic Oath, or Medical Commandment, was published in 1848 in Geneva and omits large chunks of the original text.

“I swear by Apollo, the physician Asclepius, Hygeia and Panacea, all the gods and goddesses, taking them as witnesses, to honestly fulfill, according to my strength and my understanding, the following oath and written obligation: to consider the one who taught me the art of medicine on an equal basis with my parents, to share with him my wealth and, if necessary, help him in his needs; consider his offspring as your brothers. This art, if they want to study it, teach them free of charge and without any contract; instructions, oral lessons and everything else in the teaching to communicate to their sons, the sons of their teacher and to students bound by an obligation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to no one else. I direct the treatment of the sick to their benefit in accordance with my strength and my understanding, refraining from causing any harm and injustice. I will not give or show anyone the lethal means they ask from me. way for such a plan; in the same way, I will not hand over to any woman an abortifacient cesarean. I will conduct my life and my art purely and immaculately. Whatever house I enter, I will enter there for the benefit of the sick, being far from anything intentional, unrighteous and harmful, especially from love affairs with women and men, free and slaves.

So that during treatment - and also without treatment - I see or hear about human life that should never be disclosed, I will remain silent about it, considering such things a secret. May I, who inviolably fulfill my oath, be given happiness in life and in art and glory among all people for eternity, but to him who transgresses and gives a false oath, may the opposite be true.".

Every doctor, starting his professional journey, certainly remembers Hippocrates.

When he receives his diploma, he takes an oath consecrated in his name. Apart from another Greek physician, Galen, who lived somewhat later than Hippocrates, no one else was able to have such an influence on the development of European medicine.

Hippocrates was born on the island of Kos 460 BC. The civilization and language of this island colonized by the Dorians was Ionian. Hippocrates belonged to the Asclepiad family, a corporation of doctors that claimed descent from Asclepius, the great physician of Homeric times. (Asclepius began to be considered a god only after Homer.) Among the Asclepiads, purely human medical knowledge was passed on from father to son, from teacher to student. The sons of Hippocrates, his son-in-law and numerous students were doctors.

The Asclepiadian corporation, which is also called the Cos school, preserved in the 5th century BC, like any cultural corporation of that time, purely religious forms and customs; for example, they took an oath that closely bound the students with the teacher and with fellow professionals. However, this religious character of the corporation, even if it required conventional norms of behavior, in no way limited the search for truth, which remained strictly scientific.

He received his initial medical education from his father, the doctor Heraclides, and other doctors on the island; then, for the purpose of scientific improvement, in his youth he traveled a lot and studied medicine in different countries from the practice of local doctors and from the votive tables that were everywhere hung in the walls of the temples of Aesculapius.

His life story is little known; There are legends and stories relating to his biography, but they are legendary. The name of Hippocrates, like Homer, subsequently became a collective name, and many of the approximately seventy works attributed to him, as found out in modern times, belong to other authors, mainly his sons, the doctors Thessalus and Draco, and his son-in-law Polybus. Galen recognized 11 of Hippocrates as authentic, Haller - 18, and Kovner - only 8 works from the Hippocratic Code as undoubtedly authentic.

These are treatises - “On the Winds”, “On Airs, Waters and Terrains”, “Prognostics”, “On Diet for Acute Diseases”, the first and third books of “Epidemics”, “Aphorisms” (the first four sections), and finally - surgical treatises “On Joints” and “On Fractures,” which are the masterpieces of the “Collection.”

To this list of main works it will be necessary to add several works of an ethical direction: “The Oath”, “The Law”, “On the Doctor”, “On Decent Behavior”, “Instructions”, which at the end of the 5th and beginning of the 4th century BC will transform scientific medicine Hippocrates into medical humanism.

During the time of Hippocrates, they believed that diseases were caused by evil spirits or through witchcraft. Therefore, his very approach to the causes of disease was innovative. He believed that diseases are not sent to people by gods; they arise for various, and quite natural, reasons.

The great merit of Hippocrates lies in the fact that he was the first to put medicine on a scientific basis, leading it out of dark empiricism, and clearing it of false philosophical theories, which often contradicted reality, which dominated the experimental, experimental side of the matter. Looking at medicine and philosophy as two inseparable sciences, Hippocrates tried to combine and separate them, defining each with its own boundaries.

In all literary works, Hippocrates' brilliant powers of observation and the logic of his conclusions are clearly highlighted. All his conclusions are based on careful observations and strictly verified facts, from the generalization of which the conclusions seemed to follow naturally. Accurate prediction of the course and outcome of the disease, based on the study of similar cases and examples, earned Hippocrates wide fame during his lifetime. The followers of the teachings of Hippocrates formed the so-called Kos school, which flourished for a very long time and determined the direction of modern medicine.

The works of Hippocrates contain observations on the spread of diseases depending on the external influences of the atmosphere, seasons, wind, water and their result - the physiological effects of these influences on a healthy human body. The same works also contain data on the climatology of different countries; in the latter, the meteorological conditions of one area of ​​the island and the dependence of the disease on these conditions are more thoroughly studied. In general, Hippocrates divides the causes of diseases into two classes: general harmful influences from climate, soil, heredity and personal ones - living and working conditions, nutrition (diet), age, etc. The normal influence of these conditions on the body is caused by the correct mixing of juices, which for it is health.

What is first striking about these writings is the tireless thirst for knowledge. The doctor, first of all, takes a closer look, and his eye is sharp. He questions and takes notes. The vast collection of seven books of Epidemics is nothing more than a series of notes written by a doctor at the bedside of a patient. They present cases discovered during medical examinations and not yet systematized. This text is often interspersed with some general consideration that does not concern the facts presented nearby, as if the doctor had written down in passing one of the thoughts with which his head is constantly occupied.

One of these inquisitive thoughts touched on the question of how to examine a patient, and immediately a final, all-revealing, precise word appears, showing much more than simple observation, and depicting to us the scientist’s method of thinking: “Examination of the body is a whole thing: it requires knowledge, hearing, smell, touch, language, reasoning."

And here is another discussion about examining a patient from the first book of Epidemics: “As for all those circumstances in diseases on the basis of which a diagnosis should be made, we learn all this from the general nature of all people and each person’s own, from the disease and from the patient, from everything that is prescribed, and from the one who prescribes , because from this the sick either feel better or worse; in addition, from the general and particular state of heavenly phenomena and every country, from habit, from the way of eating, from the type of life, from the age of each patient, from the speech of the patient, morals, silence, thoughts, sleep, lack of sleep, from dreams, what they are and when they appear, from twitching, from itching, from tears, from paroxysms, from eruptions, from urine, from sputum, from vomiting.One must also look at changes in illnesses, from which to which they originate, and to deposits leading to death or destruction, then sweat, chills, coldness of the body, coughing, sneezing, hiccups, inhalations, belching, silent or noisy winds, bleeding, hemorrhoids. Based on all these signs and what happens through them - research should be carried out".

It should be noted that there is a wide range of requirements. During the examination, the doctor takes into account not only the patient’s current condition, but also previous illnesses and the consequences that they could leave; he takes into account the patient’s lifestyle and the climate of the place of residence. He does not forget that since the sick person is the same person as everyone else, in order to know him one must also know other people; he probes his thoughts. Even the patient’s “silences” serve as instructions for him! An impossible task, in which any mind lacking breadth would become entangled.

As they would say today, this medicine is distinctly psychosomatic. Let's put it simply: this is medicine for the whole person (body and soul), and it is connected with his environment and lifestyle and with his past. The consequences of this broad approach are reflected in the treatment, which in turn will require the patient, under the guidance of the doctor, to participate wholeheartedly - soul and body - in her recovery.

Strictly observing the course of illnesses, he attached serious importance to various periods of illnesses, especially febrile, acute ones, establishing certain days for the crisis, the turning point of the disease, when the body, according to his teaching, would make an attempt to free itself from uncooked juices.

Other essays, “On Joints” and “On Fractures,” describe operations and surgical interventions in detail. From the descriptions of Hippocrates it is clear that surgery in ancient times was at a very high level; instruments and various dressing techniques were used, which are also used in the medicine of our time. In his essay “On Diet for Acute Diseases,” Hippocrates laid the foundation for rational dietetics and pointed out the need to nourish the sick, even those with fever (which was later forgotten), and for this purpose established diets in relation to forms of disease - acute, chronic, surgical, etc. d.

Hippocrates experienced the heights of glory during his lifetime. Plato, who was one generation younger than him, but his contemporary in the broad sense of the word, comparing medicine with other arts in one of his dialogues, draws a parallel between Hippocrates of Cos and the greatest sculptors of his time - Polycletus of Argos and Phidias of Athens .

Hippocrates died around 370 BC in Larissa, Thessaly, where a monument was erected to him.

The short biography of Hippocrates contains very few details of the life of this doctor and philosopher, but his scientific heritage in medicine, on the contrary, is enormous and invaluable. A modest man who made the greatest discoveries in the world of medicine continues to live in his ideas, which are supported by doctors around the world to this day.

short biography

Hippocrates of Chios (460 -377 BC) is a hereditary doctor: his father, the world famous Heraclides, was a direct (eighteenth) descendant of Asclepius (Aesculapius), nicknamed the god of medicine, thanks to whom the science of healing was passed on from grandfather and father to son. According to some historians, the healer’s mother was a descendant of Hercules himself.

From an early age, the future father of medicine, Hippocrates, absorbed knowledge like a sponge, and when he matured, he set off to travel to expand the scope of knowledge, periodically staying for a long time in some places to treat people and, during his lifetime, achieving world fame and universal recognition of his genius.

He studied with Democritus and Gorgias, learning with their help philosophy and sophism, while working on the “Hippocratic Corpus” - a collection of medical scientific treatises of the most varied content, with a total of more than seventy works. According to his brief biography, Hippocrates belonged to the Kos school, which believed that the disease would leave a person on its own if the necessary conditions were created for this.

The famous scientist died in peace in the city of Larissa, in 377 BC. e., he was buried there with great honors, leaving behind three children: two sons and a daughter, whose husband became his successor and follower, continuing the line of the Asclepiad.

Hippocrates' contribution to medicine

Having created a comprehensive method of treating diseases, consisting of a balanced diet, physical exercise, correct thinking and attitude to life, climate, as well as the beneficial effects of fresh, clean air and living conditions, the great scientist turned people’s primitive understanding of diseases upside down, giving them liberation from religious beliefs and rituals that have little effect on the treatment of the patient.

There are a lot of unique discoveries for that time in the historical biography of Hippocrates; a short list of the most significant ones is given below:

  1. Basic principles and rules of dietetics: a previously unknown branch of medicine. It has been proven and accepted by other doctors that the patient needs a special diet for a speedy recovery.
  2. Rules of conduct during operations: caps, face masks, correct lighting and placement of medical instruments - these are all innovations of Hippocrates.
  3. Classification of human types by temperament and character.
  4. Hippocrates first coined the term “disease crisis” and detailed how to deal with it.
  5. Dental prosthetics.
  6. Reduction of dislocations and fractures.
  7. The newest and more accurate method of examining patients, including palpation, percussion and a detailed survey of the patient.

Over the years of his practice, the father of medicine discovered more than three hundred types of drugs and preparations, some of which are still used by modern doctors.

Scientific works written by a descendant of Aesculapius

In contrast to the sparse information of a short biography, Hippocratic writings are much more numerous and include a very wide range of topics related to medicine:

  • "About female nature, diseases and infertile women."
  • "On the nature of bones and joints."
  • "On diet for acute illnesses."
  • "Aphorisms" (one of his most popular works).
  • "About wounds and ulcers."

Doctor, humanist and philosopher

Having analyzed the years of Hippocrates’ life, one can trace his attitude towards illness as a combination of many factors, and not the consequence of a single cause, as was believed in those days. He believed that the environment, previous diseases, nutrition and lifestyle in general significantly influence a person, creating favorable conditions for the development of diseases. He categorically rejected the influence of gods and otherworldly forces on man and his physical condition, for which he was nicknamed the father of medicine. He was the first who openly decided to confront the priests of the temples, clergy and their superstitions.

Hippocrates was also an ardent supporter of morality among doctors of that time and formulated an oath, which was later dubbed the “code of honor for healers.”

Hippocratic Oath

It was believed that the first solemn promise of a physician was made by Asclepius: the ancestor of the father of medicine, and Hippocrates slightly modified it and wrote it down on paper (before that, the oath had only a version passed on from mouth to mouth).

Unfortunately, this great contribution of Hippocrates to medicine was distorted and rewritten many times, most recently in Geneva in 1848, losing several essential points:

  • A promise to never have an abortion.
  • A promise to give a small portion of your income to your teacher for life.
  • A vow never to have a sexual or romantic relationship with a patient.
  • A vow not to euthanize a patient under any circumstances.

Initially, the oath of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (years of life: from about 460 to 370 BC e.) were pronounced in Latin, but later switched to their native language, apparently for a better understanding of the meaning of this promise.

Legends about the healer

Despite the fairly well-known facts of his brief biography, there were many legends, stories and parables about Hippocrates, and after his death, for some time, grateful people even made sacrifices to the gods in his honor.

It is said that bees founded a swarm of bees on his grave, from which women carefully took honey to treat children with skin diseases. Legends say that honey really had healing powers and saved the suffering more than once.

Historians have preserved notes from Hippocrates' companion, made while living on Greek soil, who described an interesting incident: the great healer and his companion met the same young woman twice in a few months, and Hippocrates secretly told his companion that she had lost her virginity.

How did you find out without talking to her? - the companion called out in surprise.

The philosopher smiled into his beard and said: