Hippocrates – The Father of Medicine

“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses.“

Born : 460 BCE in Kos, Ancient Greece

Died : 370 BCE in Larissa, Ancient Greece

Occupation : Physician

Known As : The Father of Western Medicine

Dubbed “The Father of Medicine”, Hippocrates of Kos was a greek Physician who played a revolutionary role in moulding western medicine and in establishing the Hippocratic School of Medicine.

Let’s take a look at seven interesting fact about one of history’s most influential personalities :

1. The Greatest of His Time :

Hippocrates was considered to be the greatest physicians of his time and was mentored by his father who was a priest as well as physician from Asclepion. The family is said to share ancestry with the Greek demi-god, Asclepius.

2. Stating it the Scientific Way :

During his age and time, people were highly superstitious that they believed diseases were the gods’ way of punishing humanity. However, it was Hippocrates who proved and preached that diseases occur due to bodily imbalances.

3. Au Naturel :

Hippocrates was one to suggest treatments the natural way – healthy food, ample rest, clean habits and fresh air. He did not believe in any invasive surgeries to the human body as he thought they did more harm than good. He also believed that each patient reacted to treatments in different ways.

4. Written Lessons :

Hippocrates is the author of the Hippocratic Corpus which is believed to be one of the oldest books in the field of medicine. It is a collection of 70 books that were written for varied audiences, including doctors, common man, pharmacists, nurses, and the like.

5. Lived Among Heroes :

Hippocrates was alive during the time of his contemporaries, like the phenomenal philosophers Plato and Socrates and Aristotle that there are mentions of him in their works, like the “Protgoras”, “Phaedrus”, “Politics” and a few others. Several biographies were allater written on him, during his life and after.

6. New Jargons :

Apart from his path-breaking medical findings and thoughts, Hippocrates was also the first to identify ailments as chronic, acute, endemic and epidemic. He also coined many other medical terminologies like relapse, exacerbation, etc.

7. Always Remembered :

The Hippocratic oath was laid out by him as a means to uphold certain ethical medical practices. These, although modified, are still being followed by medical practitioners worldwide.