In History

Some profoundly important breakthrough inventions are not things and inventions, but rather ways of analyzing our relationship with our environment and ourselves. Once such important concept was the Hippocratic method.

The History of Hippocratic method

The Greek physician Hippocrates (460 – 377 BC) saw disease as a natural process which developed in logical steps, like the acts of a Greek play. Moreover, he saw the patient as an individual whose constitution would react to disease in its own way.

This revolutionary concept was neglected for centuries but it took on increased importance in modern times.

In Greek history, Hippocrates viewed the physician as a man of science instead of a priest. Never before had the world seen a healer and not thought of it as God’s express doing. The Hippocratic doctor observed disease, classified it and predicted its course.

He practiced medicine in accordance with the laws of science as far as science then existed and felt himself bound by the ethical precepts of his profession.

Hippocrates recognized that broken parts must be aligned  for normal mending. Traction had to be applied to both ends of a fracture, and then released, gradually, as the parts fitted together. As always, he urged the doctor to look beyond the local fracture to the patients’ total reaction.

Mobilization was recommended at an early stage, since “exercise strengthens and inactivity wastes.” Today, the maxim is still followed in the doctor’s attempt to avoid “atrophy of disuse”.

In short, the hippocratic method was more than just a revolutionary way of looking at healing.  It is an entire philosophy unto itself, with the importance of doing no harm in the center of every treatment offered, and that’s why even today doctors around the world must take the hippocratic oath to be allowed to practice medicine.

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