Hippocrates of Kos is a name that is connected to both the medicine of Ancient greece and modern medicine. Hippocrates is the father of medicine, he is known for his theories about the way the human body works and the difference between spiritual and physical medicine. He is also known for the school he opened and the Hippocratic oath that is still used by our medical professionals today. The medical school on his home island of Kos in Greece raises questions about who wrote the oath and many other works after Hippocrates death, that have used his name. In the middle ages after the fall of the Roman empire many of their modernized accomplishments were forgotten. Medicine and sanitation went backwards, as if improvement was at a stand still.
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People were treated by apothecaries who used herbal treatments or they saw their local witch doctor who gave them a “healing potion”, usually made of herbs they grew in their personal garden. People also went to their local monasteries for treatment were they knew there were herbal treatments. Although a last resort surgery was semi successful during this period. Illness was treated as a religious sickness, because the doctors were priest and such they saw illnesses as the consequences of angering the gods, treatments such as bloodletting was used to pull out the bad blood. These methods were put to test by doctors of the time who came from the fallen Roman empire or people who studied medicine in Greece. One of these doctors was Hippocrates of Kos. Hippocrates was raised on the island of Kos. His grandfather and father were doctors and it is believed that many of his descendants were also doctors. The legend was that Hippocrates and his family were descendants of the greek god of medicine Asclepius. Once Hippocrates was old enough he followed their footsteps and left the island to treat …show more content…
He believed that the human body worked on the four humors and when they were in balance a person was healthy but when one of the humors was stronger or weaker than the others a person would become ill due to the imbalance. If imbalance was the reason for illness then the only way to make a person well again was to realign the humors
The four humors are Blood, Phlegm, Yellow bile, and Black bile each has its own effect on health;
Blood the most abundant of the humors and carries nutrients through the body. It is a wet humor which belongs to the water and air element. Blood is considered a part of these elements because they are both essential and are needed in the body to survive, it is a vital part of the function of the body.
Phlegm is a clear humor and includes the other bodily fluids found in the body, Mucus, saliva and plasma. Phlegm belongs to the cold and the wet elements. Phlegm has many funtions a few are to cool, lubricate, flush out and clean. Phlegm is also responsible for carrying nutrients that are vital to the human
People were treated by apothecaries who used herbal treatments or they saw their local witch doctor who gave them a “healing potion”, usually made of herbs they grew in their personal garden. People also went to their local monasteries for treatment were they knew there were herbal treatments. Although a last resort surgery was semi successful during this period. Illness was treated as a religious sickness, because the doctors were priest and such they saw illnesses as the consequences of angering the gods, treatments such as bloodletting was used to pull out the bad blood. These methods were put to test by doctors of the time who came from the fallen Roman empire or people who studied medicine in Greece. One of these doctors was Hippocrates of Kos. Hippocrates was raised on the island of Kos. His grandfather and father were doctors and it is believed that many of his descendants were also doctors. The legend was that Hippocrates and his family were descendants of the greek god of medicine Asclepius. Once Hippocrates was old enough he followed their footsteps and left the island to treat …show more content…
He believed that the human body worked on the four humors and when they were in balance a person was healthy but when one of the humors was stronger or weaker than the others a person would become ill due to the imbalance. If imbalance was the reason for illness then the only way to make a person well again was to realign the humors
The four humors are Blood, Phlegm, Yellow bile, and Black bile each has its own effect on health;
Blood the most abundant of the humors and carries nutrients through the body. It is a wet humor which belongs to the water and air element. Blood is considered a part of these elements because they are both essential and are needed in the body to survive, it is a vital part of the function of the body.
Phlegm is a clear humor and includes the other bodily fluids found in the body, Mucus, saliva and plasma. Phlegm belongs to the cold and the wet elements. Phlegm has many funtions a few are to cool, lubricate, flush out and clean. Phlegm is also responsible for carrying nutrients that are vital to the human