Galen Vs Hippocrates

We find that the “oldest written sources of western medicine are The Hippocratic writings from the 5th and 4th centuries BC; which covers all aspects of medicine at that time and contain numerous medical terms.”(Wulff) This was the beginning of the Greek era of the language of medicine, which lasted even after the Roman

The Greeks made many influences to their medical practices as well as ours today. Hippocrates was one of the many doctors at the time and he made many new discoveries in medicines which really helped people live longer and made his procedures a lot easier. He was a very trustworthy doctor. He made an oath stating that he wouldn't do anything to put his patients in harm by giving them bad medicines. Instead, he swore to do everything possible to cures patients and help make them feel better. This was known as the Hippocrates Oath (Doc 4). Even to this day, doctors must swear to not do anything that can cause harm to their patients. It's part of their training while in medical school. The only time a doctor can "harm" his or her patients is when the patient signs a

Before logical thought was regularly applied to functions of the human body, people made sense of daily misfortunes by attributing them to the moods and wills of the gods. In the minds of the Greek, afflictions were the result of disobedience and to live in good health was a blessing that only divine intervention could provide (History of Medicine 1). Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing, was often the one called upon in times of need. Asclepian temples were constructed in Greece and in the surrounding areas, and these sites of worship also became the centers of healing; Ill Grecians undertook lengthy pilgrimages to the temples in hopes that the God’s supposed restorative powers could ameliorate their tribulations (Greek Medicine 1). An orator at that time, Aeschines reported his encounter with godly healing by praising Asclepius: “No longer counting upon mortal skill, I placed all my hope in divinity. I came, Asclepius, into your sacred wood and I was cured in three of a wound I had in my head for a year” (Palatine Anthology 13). When cures were not left up to the divine, the rituals to rid a body of disease were primitive and mainly consisted of attempts to expel demons (Longrigg 14-16). Although the idea that sickness and religion are intertwined is

For this period any understanding of bacteria was astoundingly advanced. The knowledge of Ancient Egyptians began to pave the way to other developing societies and where we stand today. Their achievements of human body and ailments even made the greeks envious and they soon began taking egyptian knowledge into their own hands. The Greeks like the egyptians were very serious about their religious practices. Priest in ancient greece were trained in simple surgery and herbal remedies. Ancient philosopher named Hippocrates discovered an idea that was quite radical at that time. Built on the idea that the egyptians started, he predicted that perhaps illness may not only be caused by the gods but also for natural reasons. Hippocrates titles this the theory of the four humors which focused on the body consisting of four liquids; blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. If these four humor were in balance you were healthy and if they were out of balance you were sick and needed to be treated accordingly. The idea of the gods not being the reason for everything was revolutionary in the fact that now societies could be examining topics in a more scientific

Another prominent Greek physician who influenced on Roman medicine was Claudius Galen Galen moved to Rome in 162 AD and established many beliefs such as ; four humors or four fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. He recommended special diets that welcomed to help in the “cleansing the putrefied juices”. Methods slice purging bloodletting, were often used. While in Rome, Galen was a physician to the emperor he was to clean and to treat wounded gladiators. He believed it was a great opportunity to learn more about human anatomy.

The Roman doctor Galen contributed a lot to the medical field. He wrote a book called, “The Best Physician is also a Philosopher”. This book was used as a medical book for thousands of years after it was published. He also got a better understanding of the human anatomy than what was previously known before, specifically the circulatory, nervous, and the respiratory systems. He was discovered the difference between bright and dark blood (8).

Hippocrates contribute a very important perspective on medical knowledge in medieval western Europe times. Subsequently, Hippocrates was not a licensure physician, but in those times licensure was not a necessity. In this time period in seems to be Hippocrates innate instinct to contribute to medical practices. From the very beginning of times Hippocrates lineage was a part of the founding of the art of medicine. Apollo, whose was Hippocrates grandfather was consider in history among the Greeks to be the founder of the art of medicine. Asclepius, whom was the son of the great Apollo, whom Hippocrates father. Asclepius was known among the Greeks culture for his

Galen was a very important doctor who had come up with the theory of “four humors.”

Most people based their medical care off of what Galen had discovered in his studies, using the four humours and four elements (Early Medieval Medicine in Europe, Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer). The four humours- blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile- were examined to diagnose what could be going on with the individual. The four elements were used to describe as to why it was happening. Galen believed that illnesses were an imbalance between the elements and humours, causing one to fall ill when they were thrown out of balance (Early Medieval Medicine in Europe, Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer). For simple remedies, the people referenced the Lorch Book of Medicine and the Leech Book of Bald. Midwives were probably the most educated when it came to being a basic person in the population. They were used to assist with childbirth, infant death, and any topic related to a woman’s health. This gave them more knowledge as to what to do, some even came up with their own remedies out of

Considered one of the greatest minds in Medicine, and the Philosophy of Medicine since history was recorded, Galen of Pergamon remains to this day one of the most profound physicians, and medical researchers that lived. We know this, because of his massive account of everything, he at times had anywhere from 10-20 scribes writing down all of his ideas and theories as well as his thoughts and findings during the many surgical procedures he undertook. “His surviving writings make up about half of all ancient writings on medicine today”(Agita) Although Galen philosophised frequently he never viewed himself as a Philosopher, in fact he held hostility towards some of the Philosophers of

“A physician who is a lover of wisdom is the equal of a g-d.”(Hippocrates) The Greeks valued medicine and thought highly of physicians, holding them to an incredibly high standard set by the best doctors, each with their own set of priorities. Hippocrates believed that the patient’s happiness and diet was the most important part of health, diagnosis, and treatment, and was admired for his ethics and morals. However, many disagreed with Hippocrates because he used new medicines and unique, unheard of techniques, including a healthy diet, which he believed to be the most important aspect of health. This differed from others view, because medicines were thought very highly of, but he only used medicine as a last resort, and first attempted

Hippocrates of Cos, a physician in ancient Greece, is considered to be the father of medicine due to his many contributions to the field in his life. Through research and different experiments he was able to conclude many different principles, including on of the most important: the four humors. By observing reactions to different illnesses, sometimes leading the patient to die, he was able to develop the theory. His theory of the four humors was that the human body was filled with four basic substances, or humors, that when in balance indicate the person is healthy. If there was too little or too much of one of the four, a disease or disability would result. The four humors of Hippocratic medicine are black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm. Before the humors were introduced, many people believed that the source of illness was punishment from the Gods. It wasn’t until after Hippocrates’ introduction to medicine that the field stepped away from religion and into science.

Hippocrates is most commonly known as “the father of western medicine.” Because he lived so long ago, it is not exactly clear when he was born and when he died. The best estimates are that he was born around 460 BCE and died around 370 BCE. He lived during the Greek Golden Age, which had influence on his prosperity in medicine. It is believed that he was born on the Island of Cos, where he later taught medicine. During Hippocrates’ life, Cos was particularly famous for its medical school. He studied under his father, Heraclides, who was also a physician. It is believed that his Grandfather was a physician as well. Giving that both his father and grandfather were

Hippocrates said that the body had 4 humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile). He proposed that an imbalance of these humors with an excess of black bile in different body sites could cause cancer (humoral theory). (Magner and Garrison)

As The Greek empire declined, Rome inherited its medical traditions and knowledge. During the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D health standards dropped considerably and outbreaks occurred of life threatening diseases. Galen of Pergamon, a follower of Hippocrates, gathered much of the medical knowledge of the time and added to it his studies of anatomy and physiology (mostly of animals). In Spite of his errors in describing certain anatomical and physiology phenomena, his writing created the foundation for medicine over 1500 years later in Europe. Though Galen created a historical event, he indeed followed and admired one of the