The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1920-08-14
HEALTH HINTS.
BY }. syIvander Trice. M. D.
Ancient Greek Medicine


80 lar We have discussed prehistoric and
mythical medicine. We will now consider
tn s. so-eaiied Classical period or the period
about 1000 years, from 400 b. c with the
birth OF Hlppocrates to 40 A. d, the fall OF
Western Empire. According TO Soranus,
at the beginning of the Eighteth Plympiad
OF an Asclepiac family Sophocles Euripides
Socrates Aristophanes Pindar Plato, Hcrodo-
ttus, Ihueydides, Phdias and Polygnotus were
ms contemporaries. One historian says:
Never before nor since have SO many men
OF Genius appeared in the same narrow limits
OF time and space. This was the age of Per
Giles, the time of the highest development OF
the Athcnian Democracy Hippocrates re
ceived his first medical instruction from his
father. Afterwards he studied at Athens, and
acquired extensive knowledge and experience
BY travel and practice in the city of Thrace,
Ihessaley and Macedonia. He lived to be
very old; the date of his death is not known.
! he three cardinal achievements that en-
hanceu MS cmlnence were, hrst Medicine
was separated by him from Theurgy and
philosophy; secondly, he CRY stallzes the dis
connected teachings of the coan and Cnidian
schools INTO synthetic science; and thirdly he
handed down to physicians the highest and
nopleSt moral inspiration which has always
maintained purifying and elevatng influences
IN all medical matters. That he is, the father
and founder OF real medicine has been estab
lished without doubt and il is certain that
any subsequent discoveries OF cuneiform in
scrlption or papyric medical lore will not de
Doctors before him were mere subordnatcs
and associates. Hippocrates accomplished all
that man Of genius could do his best de
scriptlons OF diseases are models of their kind
today. Hippocrates discarded the theory that
diseases were caused by the gods he taught
Coan physicians and in teaching in that
famous medical school he introduced the in
ductlve methods OF considering maladies, &C.
eording TO one historian. II was his trans
parent honesty and high reverence for his
calling allied to his keen insight and the
common sense use OF his mind and his spe-
cial senses combined with his scientific fear
of errors OF judgment and observation that
Hppocrates the father OF Medicine and the
greatest OF all physicians.
Hippocrates described the hhons. hemo-
globinuric and maleria feyers OF Thessaly and
Trace. His description OF phthsis, epilepsy,
mumps etc, might take their places in any
modern textbook with but few corrections.
The works attributed to Hippocrates are usu-
ally divided into four groups: his own writ
ngs, those falsely claimed to be his, the
works OF his predecessors and those OF his
contemporaries and followers The Hippo
crates Oath is the oldest and most impressive
writing on medical ethics and is in strict
accord with the spirit evinccd in everything
Hppocraiess wrote OF said. 1t was the begin
nng OF Greek physicians which was like
Skodas rather to be able to predict the ont
come OF disease than to forstah or prevent
ii according TO the 'Prognostics.' To this
end Hippocrates instituted for the first time
a thorough going clinical examination Of
each case, including the facts, localized pains,
pulse temperature, excreta sputum. etc
Shakespeare recognized the "Faeies Hippo
eratea' in Henry Fifth where he gave the
wonderful graphical description OF Fastaf $
death. Hppocrates as a surgeon was good
also; he ordered the water for irrigation OF
, the wounds, boiled the hands and nails as
operators must be made clean. lie was the
first one to describe healing Of wounds by
arst and second intention. lie was expert
IN trcphining and paraeentesls drephininR
operation in which piece oil bone IS cut out
OF the skulD Paracentesis removing fluid
from the body eavity)
After Hippoerates ceues Aristotle C384-
3}2 b. @ who he.. the greatest name in
and son of 4 physician He improved the
development sbf medicine by the introduction
oil comparative anatomy and embTyoogy He
thougH and wrote on ever conceivable Sub
leci = II was the first zooogist, he studio u
pner Plato for twenty years. Aristotle de
4 scrbed about 500 different species OF animals
I and studied their bodily structures and finc
tons lie said 1t is the business Of tho
rafuralist to know also the causc OF health
and disease. Hence most Naturalists sec in
medicine the conclusion OF their studies, and
! ply sicians those at least who display some
scientific knowledge Of the practice of their
art being the study Of sse5heine with the nat
ural sciences. Aristotle, a man Of very great
| intellect and extensive knowledge, was also
supcrstitious in degree he believed in
| dreams. III the happy significance OF 4 sneczc,
! in Chiromancy, etc. Aristotle had much
knowledge about anatomy; he gave the name
/ 10 Aorta and . discovered the difference be
tween arteries and veins; he also speaks OF
/ the great Nena Gave q
CONTINUED Hext week.