The Hippocratic Way
Hippocrates created specific ways that medicine should be practiced, and studies, mostly known as ‘Hippocratic Ways’ or ‘Hippocratic Medicine’. One of the practices of his was patient-doctor confidentiality. This is where the doctor cannot speak about any of his or her patients no matter what to anybody, other than different doctors included in the healing. He also recommended that physicians record findings and medicinal methods to be passed to later physicians. Finally, he theorized the four humors (see four humors tab), which changed the medical world immensely.
One of his famous quotes is “First, do no harm.”, which most likely means, just let it pass and if anything doesn’t lighten up or gets worse, proceed then with medicinal healings. Hippocratic medicine was based on the natural philosophy Greeks had developed. It included observation, logical deduction, experimentation and record-keeping. Most Hippocratic doctors were cautious and skeptical. Someone summed up their famous saying “ The art is long; life is short; the occasion fleeting; experience fallacious and judgement difficult.”. They also questioned witch-doctors, faith-healers,quacks and charlatans ways that they saw being used. Hippocrates taught that diseases came from natural causes, not from the gods. He would look at the of skin, how the eyes looked, and looked for fever and chills. He described illnesses such as pneumonia, tetanus, tuberculosis, arthritis, mumps and malaria. Hippocrates taught his students to learn from what they observed. He also believed that the human body could heal itself and return itself to good health. The most he gave his patients was medicine to relieve pain, but usually nothing else. Part of his philosophy was that a doctors hands should always be clean, the operating room should be well lit and cheerful, and that patients in good spirits healed faster. According to Hippocrates, physicians should be men of honor, and he encouraged them to work as hard as possible for the good of the sick.
Medical astrology, the ancient medical system that associates various parts of the body,diseases and drugs under the influence of the Sun, Moon, and planets, including the twelve astrological signs. Hippocrates made it a big deal to study astrology and even once said “He who do not understand astrology is not a doctor, but a fool.” Each of the astrological signs are associated with different parts of the human body, Ancient herbals were used to determine the following:
Aries: head, face,brain and eyes
Taurus: throat, neck, thyroid gland, and vocal tract.
Gemini: arms, lungs, shoulders, hands and nervous system
Cancer: chest, breasts, stomach,and alimentary canal
Leo: heart, chest,spine,spinal column, and upperback
Virgo: digestive system, intestines, spleen, and nervous system
Libra: kidneys, skin,lumbar region, buttocks
Scorpio: reproductive system, sexual organs, bowels, and excretory system
Capricorn: knees, joints, and skeletal system
Aquarius: ankles, calves, and circulatory system
Pisces: feet, toes,lymphatic system and apidose tissue.
These helped with diagnosis of diseases, during specific times of the year.
In the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, is a large group of books and writings called the Hippocratic Corpus, all dedicated to Hippocrates. These writings, are the oldest surviving complete medical books. Modern scholars have no evidence of which books Hippocrates wrote, but his name is mentioned throughout. The books were written for specific readers, such as physicians, pharmacists, professional physician, and the layman or a person who is not an expert in the field. In his time, doctors wrote treatises, or written arguments for the educated public, where in turn discussed about their own medical problems. The purpose of these books were to teach the layman how to judge a physician, not how to self-treat. Experimentation is mentioned throughout, leading modern scholars to believe that the Hippocratic view of medicine was mostly experimentation of treatments. First hand experience was also key, because medicinal plants are mentioned and described by color and taste. There are also traces of basic lab experiments such as dissections of animals. In the book A Short History of Medicine, E.A. Ackerknecht said that “For better or worse, Hippocrates observed sick people, not diseases.”
One of his famous quotes is “First, do no harm.”, which most likely means, just let it pass and if anything doesn’t lighten up or gets worse, proceed then with medicinal healings. Hippocratic medicine was based on the natural philosophy Greeks had developed. It included observation, logical deduction, experimentation and record-keeping. Most Hippocratic doctors were cautious and skeptical. Someone summed up their famous saying “ The art is long; life is short; the occasion fleeting; experience fallacious and judgement difficult.”. They also questioned witch-doctors, faith-healers,quacks and charlatans ways that they saw being used. Hippocrates taught that diseases came from natural causes, not from the gods. He would look at the of skin, how the eyes looked, and looked for fever and chills. He described illnesses such as pneumonia, tetanus, tuberculosis, arthritis, mumps and malaria. Hippocrates taught his students to learn from what they observed. He also believed that the human body could heal itself and return itself to good health. The most he gave his patients was medicine to relieve pain, but usually nothing else. Part of his philosophy was that a doctors hands should always be clean, the operating room should be well lit and cheerful, and that patients in good spirits healed faster. According to Hippocrates, physicians should be men of honor, and he encouraged them to work as hard as possible for the good of the sick.
Medical astrology, the ancient medical system that associates various parts of the body,diseases and drugs under the influence of the Sun, Moon, and planets, including the twelve astrological signs. Hippocrates made it a big deal to study astrology and even once said “He who do not understand astrology is not a doctor, but a fool.” Each of the astrological signs are associated with different parts of the human body, Ancient herbals were used to determine the following:
Aries: head, face,brain and eyes
Taurus: throat, neck, thyroid gland, and vocal tract.
Gemini: arms, lungs, shoulders, hands and nervous system
Cancer: chest, breasts, stomach,and alimentary canal
Leo: heart, chest,spine,spinal column, and upperback
Virgo: digestive system, intestines, spleen, and nervous system
Libra: kidneys, skin,lumbar region, buttocks
Scorpio: reproductive system, sexual organs, bowels, and excretory system
Capricorn: knees, joints, and skeletal system
Aquarius: ankles, calves, and circulatory system
Pisces: feet, toes,lymphatic system and apidose tissue.
These helped with diagnosis of diseases, during specific times of the year.
In the Library of Alexandria, Egypt, is a large group of books and writings called the Hippocratic Corpus, all dedicated to Hippocrates. These writings, are the oldest surviving complete medical books. Modern scholars have no evidence of which books Hippocrates wrote, but his name is mentioned throughout. The books were written for specific readers, such as physicians, pharmacists, professional physician, and the layman or a person who is not an expert in the field. In his time, doctors wrote treatises, or written arguments for the educated public, where in turn discussed about their own medical problems. The purpose of these books were to teach the layman how to judge a physician, not how to self-treat. Experimentation is mentioned throughout, leading modern scholars to believe that the Hippocratic view of medicine was mostly experimentation of treatments. First hand experience was also key, because medicinal plants are mentioned and described by color and taste. There are also traces of basic lab experiments such as dissections of animals. In the book A Short History of Medicine, E.A. Ackerknecht said that “For better or worse, Hippocrates observed sick people, not diseases.”