He was born into a family of physicians, the Asklepiades, who were the hereditary physician-priests of the Asklepieion and considered descendants of the god of medicine, Asclepius. The island of Kos itself had a strong medical tradition, with its already famous Asklepieion and its medical school. His father was Heraclides and his mother, Fenareti, who was considered a descendant of the mythical hero Heracles. Hippocrates had two sons, Thessalos and Drakon, who, following family tradition, also became famous physicians, like his son-in-law Polyvos.
Hippocrates was taught medicine by his grandfather and father, in a propitious environment, as he studied within the Asklepieion itslef, which provided him with numerous clinical data for research and practice. Hippocrates also studied philosophy and rhetoric, as was the custom those days.
When Hippocrates became an adult and during a decade he visited various places for research purposes, increasing his knowledge and experience. We don’t know with certainty which places he visited but most historians name Skythia, Delos, Egypt, Libya, Thasos, Thrace, Propontis, Ellispon, Thessaly, Athens and Smyrna.
MEDECINE BEFORE HIPPOCRATES
In Ancient Greece, although the practice of medicine remained religious, empirical medicine developed itself, based on experience and logic, marginalising older superstitious methods. A big breakthrough for the evolution of medicine came from the Pre-Socratic philosophers who claimed that the laws of nature could be applied to men. Those who seem to have influenced Hippocrates more, in this sense, are Heraklitus, Empedocles, Alkmaion and the Pythagorians. The most important medical schools at that time were those of Cyrene, Kroton and Knidos.
HIPPOCRATES’ INNOVATIVE APPROACH
When Hippocrates took over the Medical School of Kos, he expanded the teaching, that was confined until then to the sons of physicians-priests, to all young people who had the necessary academic qualifications. A contract stating the student’s obligations towards the teacher and medecine in general was thus included in the Hippocratic Oath. Amongst his most renowned students were Polyvos, Dexippos, Protagoras the Elder and Synnessis the Cypriot.
He separated scientific truth from superstition that was promoted by physicians-priests and stated that sickness is not god’s punishment. He showed that all illnesses have a human or natural cause and can be studied. He highlighted the importance and influence of the natural environment on corporal and inner health. He also conceptualised the existence of a vital force within the human body, named “Physis”, that allows people to live and constitutes the most important therapeutic factor.
Hippocrates considered each human being as having unique personality and psychosomatic characteristics. He not only examined the organ that was sick but the whole body. He gave attention not only to the illness but also to the patient. He attached a lot of importance to prognosis and to the development of the illness itself in relation with the rest of the body. A crucial aspect of Hippocrates’ medicine was the diet he imposed on his patients, tailored to their needs, composition, age, habits and personality.
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