Hippocrates
Hippocrates (c. 460 – c. 370 BC)[1] was a Greek doctor who is called the "father of medicine".[2][3][4] He was the first person to teach that people got sick for scientific reasons. Previously, people believed that disease was caused by angry gods.
Hippocrates of Kos | |
|---|---|
Ἱπποκράτης | |
 Engraving by Peter Paul Rubens, 1638 | |
| Born | c. 460 BC |
| Died | c. 370 BC Larissa, Ancient Greece |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Era | Classical Greece |
| Title | The Father of Western Medicine |
Many of Hippocrates' writings are still important to doctors. For example, patient confidentiality, meaning that doctors can only discuss a patient with the patient themselves. Another of his ideas is to never knowingly lead a patient to suffering or death. These kinds of ideas are part of medical ethics.
The Hippocratic Oath is named after him. This is a set of rules which doctors promise to obey. We don't exactly know what the original was, but this is an example of a modern Hippocratic Oath: I do solemnly swear by all I hold most sacred:
- that I will be loyal to the profession of medicine and just to its members
- that I will lead my life and practice my art with virtue and honor
- that into whatsoever home I shall enter it shall be for the good of the sick and the well by the utmost of my power and that I will hold myself aloof from wrong and from corruption and from the tempting of others to vice
- that I will exercise my art solely for the benefit of my patients, the relief of suffering, the prevention of disease and promotion of health, and I will give no drug and perform no act for an immoral purpose
- that in the treatment of the sick, I will consider their well-being to be of a greater importance than their ability to compensate my services
- that what I may see or hear in the course of treatment or even outside the treatment in regard to the lives of persons which is not fitting to be spoken, I will keep inviolably secret
- that I will commit myself to a lifetime of continued learning of the art and science of medicine
- these things I do promise and in proportion as I am faithful to this oath, may happiness and good repute be ever mine, but should I trespass and violate this oath, may the reverse be my lot.
The oldest version we have is AD 275, and that is just fragments.
References
change- ↑ /hɪˈpɒkrəˌtiːz/; Greek: Ἱπποκράτης; Hippokrátēs
- ↑ Grammaticos PC, Diamantis A (2008). "Useful known and unknown views of the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates and his teacher Democritus". Hell J Nucl Med. 11 (1): 2–4. PMID 18392218.
- ↑ "Hippocrates". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation. 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ↑ Strong, W.F.; Cook, John A. (July 2007), "Reviving the Dead Greek Guys" (PDF), Global Media Journal, Indian Edition, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-15, retrieved 2016-03-09