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 Hippocrates
was a Greek physician born in 460 BC on the island of Cos, Greece. He
became known as the founder of medicine and was regarded as the greatest
physician of his time. He based his medical practice on observations and
on the study of the human body. He held the belief that illness had a
physical and a rational explanation. He rejected the views of his time
that considered illness to be caused by superstitions and by possession
of evil spirits and disfavor of the gods.
Hippocrates held the belief that the
body must be treated as a whole and not just a series of parts. He
accurately described disease symptoms and was the first physician to
accurately describe the symptoms of pneumonia, as well as epilepsy in
children. He believed in the natural healing process of rest, a good
diet, fresh air and cleanliness. He noted that there were individual
differences in the severity of disease symptoms and that some
individuals were better able to cope with their disease and illness than
others. He was also the first physician that held the belief that
thoughts, ideas, and feelings come from the brain and not the heart as
others of him time believed.
Hippocrates traveled throughout Greece
practicing his medicine. He founded a medical school on the island of
Cos, Greece and began teaching his ideas. He soon developed an Oath of
Medical Ethics for physicians to follow. This Oath is taken by
physicians today as they begin their medical practice. He died in 377
BC. Today Hippocrates is known as the "Father of Medicine".
extracted from
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http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/Museum/hippoc.html
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