Anyone who knows medicine has probably heard of the Hippocratic oath—a pledge doctors make to always do what’s best for their patients’ health. What people may not be as familiar with is the person for whom this oath is named: the Greek physician Hippocrates, traditionally regarded as the father of modern medicine.

Hippocrates lived from approximately 460 to 377 BC on the island of Kos. He was known in his lifetime as a notable doctor and teacher. But it wasn’t until about 100 years after his death that he became so well known. The Museum of Alexandria in Egypt at that time gathered a collection of medical writings that became known as the Hippocratic Corpus (the works of Hippocrates). Although it is accepted that the doctor did not actually write all these papers himself—they were probably compiled by several of his students and followers—that detail has proved insignificant in the grand scheme of history. Hippocrates’ reputation as the model physician grew out of this collection.

The Hippocratic writings are known for their simplicity, directness, and emphasis on the practical problems of medicine. They discuss a range of basic tasks like setting broken bones, treating wounds, and making diagnoses. They also establish medicine as its own distinct profession and field of science, separate from philosophy or alchemy. The most famous document, the Hippocratic oath, deals largely with ethical issues in medicine. Others include a famous story about Greek history called “The Embassy.” These articles mixed fact and fiction, and some may not even have been written by Hippocrates himself; still, they formed the basis of the mythology that evolved after his death.

Hippocrates is credited with being the first physician to reject superstitions that held that illness stemmed from supernatural or divine forces. Under the influence of Hippocrates’ supposed works, surgery, pharmacy, and anatomy advanced in the Hellenistic period. While other physicians and schools of medicine gained and lost popularity in the centuries that followed, the simple theories presented in the works of Hippocrates continue to inspire physicians through the modern day.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Most medical schools today administer some form of Hippocratic oath, but most no longer use the original version, which forbade surgery, abortion, and euthanasia.
  2. It has been suggested that scientists and engineers should pledge a code of ethics similar to doctors’ Hippocratic oath.
  3. Hippocrates is given credit for first describing of clubbed fingers (also called Hippocratic fingers), a telltale symptom of chronic lung disease, lung cancer, and cyanotic heart disease.