Hippocrates of Cos

Hippocrates of Kos, the most famous physician and the father of medicine. Ancient Greek mythology told of Asclepius, the great healer. The god Apollo, an immortal named Koronis, had a son named Asclepius. Koronis was unfaithful and Artemis, the sister of Apollo, killed Koronis with her bow and arrow. But just before Koronis died, Apollo rescued his unborn son by cutting him from the wound of Koronis. Asclepius thereby received his name, meaning to cut open. The centaur, half horse and half man, named Cherion, raised him. Asclepius grew to a man and he had a daughter named Panacea, meaning universal cure. Another daughter named Hygieia, meaning health and beauty, and two sons who were battle surgeons. Asclepius became a great healer. He was so good that Hades, the god of the underworld, complained that not enough people were dying, so he demanded that Zeus kill Asclepius. With his mighty thunderbolt, Zeus did as his brother Hades had asked. However, the fates returned Asclepius to Mount Olympus and Asclepius became deified as the Greek god of healing. On the island of Kos, off the southwest coast of Turkey, a sect of Asclepians worshiped Asclepius and practiced mystical, religious-based teachings in temples devoted to him. The snake was felt to be sacred and priests interpreted the dreams of patients. Unlike the priest, the lay healers outside the temples used observation of results in their practice and had a strong family tradition. In 460 BC, Hippocrates was born into such an Asclepian family, but Hippocrates dissociated medicine from religious mysticism. He crystallized the existing knowledge into a systemic science. He was also the first to make physicians realize their high moral obligations to their patients. Hippocratic physicians believed that nature needs to maintain equilibrium and if anything is out of balance, disease results. They thought there were four fluids or humors that were the cause of certain emotions and behaviors. Blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Blood imparted energy, while yellow bile was choleric and made one quick to anger. Black bile was melancholic and introverted and phlegm meant the brain was quiet and relaxed. Balance was health and an imbalance was the cause of disease. Because they kept accurate records of observations, this allowed them to make predictions or give a prognosis to the patients and their reputation grew and grew. Ptolemy I collected the entire medical works of the Hippocratic physicians under one title, Corpus Hippocraticum. In 1525, Pope Clement VII compiled the first complete printed edition which contained 70 different texts and was made up of writings before and after the death of Hippocrates. This work details the use of observation and record keeping as well as the removal from medicine, the notion of the supernatural. Importantly included is the famous Hippocratic oath which was the first ethical code of conduct for physicians. By swearing the oath, the physician promised to hold his teacher as important as his parents, to teach his son the art, to keep his patients from harm. He swore that he would give no deadly drug, perform no abortion, not cut for stone. He swears to visit the patient for the benefit of the patient only and not to have sex with the patient and he vowed to keep all matters confidential and act in a moral way. Some form of this oath is taken by the great majority of doctors graduating from medical school today. Hippocrates remains the most famous and well-known physician even now some 2,500 years after his death. There are many quotes ascribed to Hippocrates that have become famous but the most famous is primum non nocere, first of all do no harm.