Hippocrates' Medicine through the lens of a modern physician

Abstract

Hippocrates of Cos, the fifth century BC physician, was famous in antiquity and his name continues to be recognised today in both academe and the wider world. It is the purpose of the study to examine the reason for this continuing fame. The Hippocratic Corpus is the earliest body of work on the principles and practice of medicine available to us. An examination of this reveals that its authors were responsible for promulgating three innovative concepts of the body. These are the autonomy of the body; various theories of how the body functioned; and the ethical principles governing the relationship of the doctor and his patient. Following an introduction, the first three chapters examine the evidence for these concepts. The fourth chapter considers the possible transmission of such concepts over time by the analysis of the medical response to two historic plagues, one in antiquity and one today. Analysis confirms that the concept of the autonomous body was lost after antiquity but regained in the modern era; that the only theory of body function to survive was that of the humours; and that the ethics of the relationship between doctor and patient is likely to be part of a universal response to the complexity of the roles of healer and patient that exists in both health and disease in any society. The fifth chapter is an evaluation of Hippocratic legacy to us today. It is concluded that Hippocrates name, if not his medicine, will continue to have public recognition.