There is no mention about the personal life of Hippocrates. This is the only story • Got that Hippocrates was born in Cos island of Greece about 460 years before Christ. The temple of Aesculapius was located on this island and probably the father of Hippocrates was the priest of this temple.
There are some who say that Hippocrates did not exist; Seventy books on medical science known by his name are the creations of a writer’s association. Anyhow, the famous Greek historian and philosopher Plato talked about a man named Hippocrates. In the sixth century BC, the Greek mathematician Thales, who laid the foundation of the school on the island of Cos, probably later became the school of Hippocrates. The principles of medicine and the proper personal relationship between the doctor and the patient were taught in this school.
Until the heyday of Hippocrates, diagnosis and medicine were in the hands of the priests of Aesculapius. Aesculapius was the Greek and Roman god of healing. Based on the Puranas, it is believed that Aesculapius was a perfect doctor and had the ability to bring the dead back to life.
In those days, illness was considered to be the result of the displeasure of the gods, so the only way to get rid of the disease was to make offerings to the gods. If the sick could walk, they would go to the temple of Aesculapius on foot and with the help of the priests, would be blessed by the gods. Many patients used to return home after being cured because of the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Sometimes the priests of the temple gave ointment or decoction; While this treatment had nothing to do with the good fortune of those fortunate ones.
It is not hard to understand that people would have looked upon Hippocrates with suspicion, because he had destroyed the belief that the gods had the power to heal the body. Yet he was smart enough not to completely oppose this belief of the people in the deities. The first Hippocrates oath was, “I am the physician Apollo, Aesculapius, I swear in the name of Arogya Sanjeevani and all the deities…” But Hippocrates’ faith was only on direct and tested facts. He tried his best to overcome the prevalent superstitions regarding disease and diagnosis. Even today, the students who pass the doctorate take the ideas based on the teachings of Hippocrates, the great physician of Greece, as an oath. which is like this-
“I take an oath to observe this vow. According to my intelligence and discretion, I will treat only for the service of the sick, never with the aim of harming anyone. No matter how much I am forced, I will not give poison to anyone. Whichever house I go to, my aim will be to help the sick. Whatever I see or hear in the course of my profession – I will never reveal it if it is not worthy of disclosure.”
The whole statement is called the ‘Hippocratic Oath’. We have come to know many ancient Greeks only through their works.
The entire civilized world raised the flag of Hippocrates’ merit. The Persian emperor Artaxerxes wanted to give him eternal wealth so that he could stop the epidemic that was destroying the armies of Persia. At that time there was a war going on between Persia and Greece, due to which Hippocrates rejected the proposal saying that helping the enemy of the country is not in favor of his honor. This event is depicted in the famous oil painting in the Medical School of Paris.
The teachings of Hippocrates, detailed in medical texts, were rediscovered in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, these books were accepted as completely and finally correct. His recognition as the principle of medical science is paramount. Perhaps the writings of Hippocrates have not decreased yet, however blindly following his words resulted in no progress in medical science for centuries. About two hundred years after Christ, Galen differed with Hippocrates on many things. Still, there was no change in the faith of the people towards Hippocrates and they continued to think that Hippocrates’ idea was infallible. French medical experts still say, “Galen says yes but Hippocrates says no,” to show the conflicting ambivalent sides of any profound question. There are many examples in history that have led to the slavery of a good theory
has stopped the progress of science. Science should always be ready to re-examine the past.
According to Hippocrates, the most important part of medicine is anatomy. But later on, the study of anatomy was neglected for some ages and it was revived by Vesalius in the fifteenth century. At that time the work of rag-torn was in the hands of barbers.
Under the reign of King Henry VIII of England (1509–1547), a law decreed that barbers should do no mutilation except to remove bad blood or teeth. Along with this, it was ordered that the surgeons would not do the work of shaving. The ‘barber pole’, displayed by barbers in England, still highlights the history of barbers’ rip-off. The white stripe of the flag on this pillar of barbers (barber pole) is a copy of the strip and the red stripe is of blood.
In the Oath of Hippocrates, the work of both doctor and surgeon has been separated. For example, “I will not handle the knife…Leave that task to the experts.” According to Hippocrates, the post of surgeon is higher than that of doctor; which we still believe today. Hippocrates is the father of modern medicine. He thought it best to search for the causes of diseases in the surroundings and not in the wrath of the gods. His teaching was that the doctor should observe the patient carefully, examine him and write down the symptoms of the disease. In this way, he can prepare such an account, on the basis of which it can be decided that by treating the patient in what way, he will be cured. He fixed some general rules for the examination of the patients – what is the color of the eyes and skin of the patient, what is the temperature of the body, hunger or not, urine and stool are regular or not.
Hippocrates used to make daily records about the patient and also insisted on doing so. . For example, we get cold only in winter. Paying attention to this fact, Hippocrates understood another thing that there must be some deep connection between astrology and medicine, because astrology is important for deciding about different seasons. The result of this insight was that the students of Ayurveda without proper reason, they studied astrology for centuries. Hippocrates used to lay great emphasis on the social dignity of the doctor and the faith of the general public in him. He often advised doctors not to hesitate to tell their patients how long the disease would last, because if his predictions came true, people would trust him more and more and unhesitatingly submit themselves to treatment. . Some of Hippocrates’ experiences seem to be the most modern; For example, obese people usually die sooner than lean people, the diet of the old is less than that of the young. Doses are higher in winter and lower in summer; Weak men can reduce the dosage, but the fat content should not be reduced in it and obese men can increase the dosage, but the fat content should be reduced in it; Physical ailments caused by anxiety, fatigue and cold • can be overcome by taking equal amounts of water and alcohol.