After yesterday’s glimpse at science, I posted a quote by Hippocrates. He said, “There are, in fact, two things, science, and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.”
That’s quite an observation to make. I guess way back in 400 BC, the seekers of science had to battle the great waves of stupidity that still exist today.
So what about this great thinker of so long ago? Hippocrates was born in 460 BC. And that birth occurred on the island of Kos in Ancient Greece. If you ask me, Kos is closer to Turkey. But maybe back then, it was all Greece.
Anyway, Hippocrates was a common name in Greece, so to be certain of his identity, he is often referred to as Hippocrates of Kos or Hippocrates the Great. In Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, he was called Hippo Crates. Like the animal, hippo, and wooden boxes, crates.
On the timeline of great thinkers?
He came after Socrates.
And before Plato.
What we know of Hippocrates’ life consists of fragments. Written works from that time are few. But. We learn that Hippocrates of Kos was the greatest of Greek physicians. He was also an acclaimed teacher.
Hippocrates was a member of an aristocratic family who were highly regarded as medical practitioners. Reputable. Respected. For the record and the name game — his grandfather’s name was also Hippocrates, and his father’s Heraclides. His mother was Phaenareta, who was also from a noble family.
So, apparently, back then, fathers trained their sons in the way of careers. Such was the case here. Hippocrates, as tradition dictated, was trained by his father to be a physician. He began work on Kos and married a noblewoman whose name is unknown. The couple had two sons: Thessalus and Dracon, and a daughter, whose name is unknown. And per that old tradition, Hippocrates trained his boys to be doctors. Judging by the fact that his daughter’s name is unknown, I imagine she didn’t sit in on the same lessons.
Hippocrates is famous because:
he systematized medicine
he founded antiquity’s greatest school of physicians
he invented the famous Hippocratic Oath
he and his followers wrote a large body of medical literature
Some of the successes of the Hippocratic School were:
attributing diseases to natural rather than supernatural causes
treating diseases through rational reasoning rather than magic or sacrifices to gods
identifying that environment, diet, and lifestyle can contribute to ill-health
emphasizing kindness, gentleness, and cleanliness in treatments
ensuring practitioners operated in a professional way, including keeping medical records for each patient
prognosis – detailed record-keeping for many patients enabled physicians to know the likely path an illness would take
What astounds me is the time. This was 400 BC. Incredible.
Yet. It seems that instead of moving forward consistently, there were times in human history that were not following the ways of Hippocrates. The Dark Ages, for one. And these days, depending on who you are talking to, scientific reasoning has taken a backseat. I think some people would rather treat diseases through magic and belief in gods than by taking a scientifically proven vaccine.
Where, oh where, are the hippo crates when we need them?
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If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.
— Hippocrates
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Science is the father of knowledge, but opinion breeds ignorance.
— Hippocrates
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Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand.
— Hippocrates
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Those crates of wisdom. Shooting from the hip.
