Claim: Hippocrates practiced medicine.

Hippocrates of Kos -LRB- -LSB- hɪˈpɒkrəˌtiːz -RSB- Ἱπποκράτης Hippokrátēs ; 460 -- 370 BC -RRB- , also known as Hippocrates II , was a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles -LRB- Classical Greece -RRB- , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine . He is referred to as the `` Father of Modern Medicine '' in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field as the founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine . This intellectual school revolutionized medicine in ancient Greece , establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields with which it had traditionally been associated -LRB- theurgy and philosophy -RRB- , thus establishing medicine as a profession .   However , the achievements of the writers of the Corpus , the practitioners of Hippocratic medicine , and the actions of Hippocrates himself were often commingled ; thus very little is known about what Hippocrates actually thought , wrote , and did . Hippocrates is commonly portrayed as the paragon of the ancient physician , and credited with coining the Hippocratic Oath , still relevant and in use today . He is also credited with greatly advancing the systematic study of clinical medicine , summing up the medical knowledge of previous schools , and prescribing practices for physicians through the Hippocratic Corpus and other works .