CME INDIA Presentation by ⚜ Dr. M. Gowri Sankar, MD, Senior Assistant Professor, Dept. of General Medicine, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore.

Today’s History Feature:

Hippocrates

(460 BC – 370 BC)

💠 Greek Physician 

💠 Father of Clinical Medicine

His contributions:

  • Hippocrates was raised in Greek Island of Kos around the year 460 BC.
  • He learned medicine from his father and grandfather. He was probably trained at the Askleipion of Kos, it was believed to be a healing temple, located in ancient Greece and dedicated to Asclepius – the God of medicine in Greek mythology.
  • In fact, Hippocrates was highly praised for being the first person who believed that diseases were caused naturally and not because of superstition and the supernatural.
  • He also separated the discipline of medicine from religion by believing and arguing that disease was not a punishment inflicted by the God but rather the influence of environmental factors, diet, and living habits.
  • He emphasised that the signs and symptoms of a disease were caused by the natural reactions of the body to the disease process.
  • Subsequently, he introduced the approaches such as friendly, sympathetic, pleasing and painless treatment to patients in medical practice. One of the strengths of his medicine was its emphasis on prognosis.
  • Furthermore, he was the first to divide diseases into Acute and Chronic.
  • He then established the first intellectual school called “Hippocratic school of Medicine” devoted to teaching the practice of medicine.
  • Actually, his intellectual school revolutionized medicine in ancient Greece and established medicine as a profession and a discipline distinct from other fields.
  • His Eponyms…
    • 🔅 Hippocrates facies – Sunken appearance of face in dehydration
    • 🔅 Hippocratic fingers – Clubbing of the fingers
    • 🔅 Hippocratic succussion splash – A clinical test for obstruction of the pylorus of stomach
    • 🔅 Hippocrates bandages
  • His collected writings “Hippocratic Corpus” provides a wealth of information on diagnosis, epidemics, obstetrics, pediatrics, nutrition and surgery.
  • His book also included the Hippocratic oath – an ancient code of ethics for physicians. Even today, the oath is valued as a historic example of medical ethics and principles.

The Most Outstanding Figure in the History of Medicine

Hippocrates 🙏🏼


Discover CME INDIA

Discover CME INDIA