Hippocrates Biography

Hippocrates of Kos, sometimes known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician who lived during the Age of Pericles (Classical Greece) and is regarded as one of the greatest characters in medical history. His contributions to medicine, like the use of clinical and prognosis observation, the systematic categorization of diseases, and the formulation of the humoral theory, have earned him the title of "Father of Medicine or founder of medicine." The Hippocratic school of medicine (Hippocrates medicine) revolutionised ancient Greek medicine by separating it from other subjects in which it had previously been affiliated (theurgy and philosophy), and thereby creating medicine as a profession.

Hippocrates Information

Born- c. 460 BC

Died- c. 370 BC; (aged approximately 90)

Occupation- Physician

Era- Classical Greece

Early Life

Hippocrates was born about the middle of the fifth century BCE on the Aegean island of Kos. With scant information about his life, historians depend on a legend-based biography published 500 years after his death by another Greek physician, Soranus, and a collection of medical texts known as the Hippocratic Corpus.

Hippocrates Asclepiades has been the formal name, which meant "descendant of (the doctor-god) Asclepios." Hippocrates, the son of Praxithea and Heracleides, was raised in an affluent household and had a strong education in fundamental topics. Before acquiring medicine from his father as well as another physician, Talking about Hippocrates education- Herodicus, he attended a formal secondary school. Hippocrates is thought to have practised medicine all across the Greek mainland, as well as potentially Libya and Egypt, according to historians.

Hippocrates of ancient Greece, who was renowned as much for his teaching as for his curing talents, carried on his medical knowledge to his two sons and founded a medical school on the Greek island of Kos approximately 400 BCE. Numerous methods linked to Hippocrates were most likely established here.

The Hippocratic Corpus

Much of what we understand about such procedures originate from the Hippocratic Corpus, a collection of far more than 60 medical publications believed to be the oldest medical works. Historians believe the writings, which were compiled 100 years after Hippocrates' death, are the work of several distinct physicians who practised medicine throughout Hippocrates' lifetime and afterwards. 

The articles do, however, share core ideas about how the body works and the nature of the disease, which makes them stand out. The books were published for many areas of medicine, pharmacists, and laypeople — not so much to practise medicine as to communicate with doctors. 

Hippocratic medicine, as per the Corpus, encouraged a good diet and physical activity to treat most diseases. If this did not alleviate the symptoms, medication was suggested. The therapeutic ingredients of plants were extracted and processed. The Corpus also discusses how to adjust joints, the significance of keeping case histories and therapies on file, and the link between weather and certain ailments.

Though Hippocratic medicine thought sickness was produced by natural processes rather than the whim of the gods, it lacked a thorough knowledge of what causes individuals to become ill. Doctors at the time were only interested in sick individuals, not diseases.

The majority of internal organ descriptions were centred on what has been seen or felt from the outside. Animal dissections were undertaken in order to create analogies with the human body, but fifth-century Greek ethics prohibited human mutilation.

Hippocratic Oath

The well-known “Hippocratic Oath” is a document outlining medical ethics, morality, and procedures. Hippocrates was originally known for writing the oath, but subsequent research suggests that it was composed after his death by other physicians inspired by the medical practices of the Corpus. Despite the fact that it is no longer used in its original form, the various modified versions that persist form the foundation for the oath taken by medical graduates when they begin their employment.

The oath's core concepts comprise practising medicine to the utmost of one's ability, sharing information with other physicians, demonstrating sympathy, compassion, and understanding, respecting patients' privacy, and assisting in illness prevention whenever feasible.

Hippocratic Theory

Hippocrates, the father of medicine greek, is recognised as the first one to consider that diseases were produced by natural causes rather than by superstition or gods. The pupils of Pythagoras credited Hippocrates with uniting philosophy and medicine. He distinguished medicine from religion, believing and contending that disease was the result of environmental factors, nutrition, and lifestyle choices rather than a punishment delivered by the gods. In fact, the Hippocratic Corpus does not contain a single reference to a mystical disease. Hippocrates, on the other hand, worked with numerous convictions, like Humorism, that have been founded on what is now recognized to be faulty anatomy and physiology.

Crisis- Another significant notion in Hippocratic medicine has been the crisis, a period in the evolution of disease when the illness will either start to win and the patient would succumb to death, or the converse would happen and the patient would heal by natural processes. After a crisis, there may be a relapse, followed by another deciding crisis. Crises, as per this idea, tend to happen on critical days that were thought to represent a set time following a disease's onset. A relapse could be expected if a crisis occurs on a day other than a critical day. Galen attributed this concept to Hippocrates, though it is probable that it existed before him.

Professionalism- Hippocratic medicine was characterised by a high level of professionalism, discipline, and rigour in practice. Physicians should always be well-dressed, honest, understanding, calm, and serious, according to Hippocrates' treatise On the Physician. In the ancient operating room, the Hippocratic physician gave close attention to all areas of his profession, following rigorous standards for "lighting, staff, instruments, patient placement, and techniques of bandaging and splinting." His fingernails were also manicured to a perfect length.

Direct Contributions to Medicine

Numerous diseases and medical disorders were initially described by Hippocrates and his disciples. He is credited with being the first to describe finger clubbing, a key diagnostic symptom in chronic lung illness, lung cancer, and cyanotic heart disease. Clubbed fingers are commonly known as "Hippocratic fingers" because of this. Hippocrates is also credited for being the first physician to explain the Hippocratic Face in Prognosis. When writing about Falstaff's death in Act II, Scene iii. of Henry V, Shakespeare notably alludes to this depiction.

Hippocrates coined terminology like "exacerbation, crisis, resolution, relapse, peak, paroxysm, and convalescence" to describe chronic, acute, endemic, and epidemic disorders. Hippocrates' explanations of the symptomatology, surgical therapy, clinical findings, and prognosis of thoracic empyema, i.e. suppuration of the chest cavity lining, are another of his important contributions. His courses are still applicable to today's pulmonary medicine and surgical students.

Hippocrates was the first known chest surgeon, and his observations and practices, while primitive at the time, including the use of lead pipes to drain chest wall abscesses, are still applicable today.

Namesakes

Hippocrates is said to be the first person to introduce certain clinical symptoms and signs, hence they were being named after him. The alteration in the countenance caused by death, extended illness, large evacuations, severe hunger, and the like is referred to as the Hippocratic face. Hippocratic fingers refer to a malformation of the fingers and fingernails described as clubbing. 

The internal splashing sounds of hydropneumothorax or pyopneumothorax is known as Hippocratic succussion. The Hippocratic bench (a device that uses stress to help set bones) and Hippocratic cap-shaped bandage were two of Hippocrates' inventions. His namesakes include Hippocratic Corpus and Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Smile is a continuous spasming of the face muscles known as Risus sardonicus. The Hippocratic variety of hair loss and baldness has been the most severe type.

Hippocrates is the term given to a lunar crater in contemporary times. On the Greek island of Kos, there is a museum devoted to him called the Hippocratic Museum. The Hippocrates Project is a New York University Medical Center programme that uses technology to improve teaching. The Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science and Shadyside Medical Center are collaborating on Project Hippocrates, which aims to "create sophisticated planning, modelling, and execution technologies for the next era of computer-assisted surgical robots." The Canadian Hippocratic Registry and the American Hippocratic Registry are both medical organisations that preserve the original Hippocratic Oath's ideals as inviolable in the face of changing social situations.

Death

Hippocrates' death and age are unknown, though it is usually assumed that he died around 377 BCE in the Ancient Greek town of Larissa. Numerous historians say he survived into his eighties or nineties. What is known is that he made a significant contribution to medicine and established an ethical norm.