Hippocrates
Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as
Hippocrates II, was a Greek
physician and
philosopher of the
classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the
history of medicine. He is traditionally referred to as the "Father of Medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field, such as the use of
prognosis and clinical observation, the systematic categorization of diseases, and the (however misguided) formulation of
humoral theory. His studies set out the basic ideas of modern-day specialties, including
surgery,
urology,
neurology,
acute medicine and
orthopedics. The Hippocratic school of medicine revolutionized
ancient Greek medicine, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields with which it had traditionally been associated (
theurgy and
philosophy), thus establishing medicine as a profession.
However, the achievements of the writers of the
Hippocratic Corpus, the practitioners of Hippocratic medicine, and the actions of Hippocrates himself were often conflated; 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, which is 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.
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