Hippocrates

Hippocrates

1. The Hippocratic Oath

   • The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians.
   • It is one of the most widely known of Greek medical texts
   • In its original form, it requires a new physician to swear, by a number of healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards.

2. The Four Humour Theory

   • blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm
   • These were in turn associated with the fundamental elements of air, water, earth and fire.
   • It was further proposed that each of the humours was associated with a particular season of the year.
   • The treatments for disease within humoral theory were concerned with restoring balance

3. Observation and Recording

   • Ancient Greek doctors did examine their patients but Hippocrates wanted a more systematic period of observation and the recording of what was observed
   • Today, we would call this ‘clinical observation’. Such ideas have lead to Hippocrates being called the ‘Father of Medicine’.

4. The Hippocratic Collection

   • This is a collection of sixty medical books of which Hippocrates wrote just some.
   • We do not know who wrote most of them but they cover a time span of 150 years so they could not have all been written by Hippocrates.
   • The Hippocratic Collection gave Greek doctors detailed advice on what to do with their patients:

5. Beliefs

   • Hippocrates and other Greek doctors believed that the work done by a doctor should be kept separate from the work done by a priest
   • They believed that observation of a patient was a vital aspect of medical care.