Hippocrates

When most people think of Greek or Roman Mythology, what comes to mind immediately are familiar names like Hercules, Perseus, and Theseus. In this paper I will address the religious practices associated with heroes, the origins of the term, examine what makes a hero, analyze the heroic content of the stories of the three heroes previously named, and look at information and ideas from Joseph Campbell’s excerpt on the ‘Monomyth.’ Evidence suggests that there were cults of people who worshipped…

Greeks and Ancient Romans. Many physicians have supported the thought of a quick and easy death instead of having the patient suffer an illness. Although physicians in this time period are supposed to follow the Hippocratic Oath,- an oath written by Hippocrates to treat the ill to the best of their ability, to give a patient their privacy, to teach their secrets of medicine to the future generations, and to forbid from giving out any type of deadly medicine to anyone even when asked- only a few…

between a patient and their doctor. While informed consent is meant to protect the patient, there are already pre-existing methods which were set up thousands of years ago, in Greece: the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath was developed by Hippocrates, it was an oath where physicians swore to uphold specific ethical standards, or risk losing their license and respect. Anyone learning to become a doctor would recite: “Into whatever homes I go, I will enter them for the benefit of the sick,…

Introduction: Egyptian scrolls dating back to 1534 BC were found discussing the medical ability of the willow tree to relive aches and pains. Even the famous Hippocrates wrote about the powder that could be obtained from the willow tree in 5th century BC. In 216 AD, the willow tree was a popular medicinal product used throughout the world. However the raw product taken from the willow tree had harsh effects on the body and stomach. Throughout the 1800’s many chemists attempted to covert…

Who would have thought that one of the greatest rivalries in the ancient world stemmed from a former friendship? The Spartans and Athenians started out as allies fighting against the Persian to becoming fierce rivals fighting in Greece. With the increase in naval power of the Athenians to the jealousy of the Spartans, the two Greek city-states would not have the same military might that they once possessed after the conflict was finally resolved. Athens began as a small city-state and grew to…

Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide indefinitely in a culture and give rise to specialized cells. They can be harvested from human embryos and it is therein the controversy lies. The morality of the process is called into question because there is a divide between people who think that life begins at fertilization and people who think that life begins at birth. This paper will delve into the details of embryonic stem cell research as well as argue that, while some disagreement…

Medical practices in the Medieval Era were, more than often, gruesome and got even more grotesque when the epidemic called “The Black Death” came along. There were many practices used to heal diagnosed illnesses during the Medieval Era. Those who would perform the treatments were called Doctors. They often got their medicines from herbs and mixed concoctions even though it was very limited during the time period. The Black Death started in 1347, many say it started due to the poor hygiene…

Dr. Sonnenberg’s lecture explores how a doctor’s environment affects medical practice. He produced a well thought out argument that incites discussion of the topic he presents, and provided a few examples that supply insight into his ideas. Specifically, the Dora case, the social construct of gender, the social construct of a doctor’s superiority, and religion are examples of a doctor’s medical practice being shaped by the environment that surrounds it. Dr. Sonnenberg’s statements about Freud’s…

Stroke: The Sociology Behind It According to John Hopkins Medicine (n.d.), Hippocrates, the father of medicine, discovered stroke about 2400+ years ago, but at the time, the Greek referred to stroke as apoplexy which meant “struck down by violence”. Sometimes referred to as a brain attack, stroke is a cerebrovascular disease that damages portions of the brain because of the tremendous loss of blood vessels individuals experience. Some sources label stroke as a chronic disease and others label it…

This paper analyzes the medical practice that was built around the cult of Asclepius in Ancient Greece and compares it to other practices from the same period: the Hippocratics and unaffiliated doctors. It starts with a short story about the mythical persona of Asclepius to showcase the perspective the people had about him then it continues to describe how this perspective helped forward the medical profession despite its gross inaccuracies and it ends with a discussion of the symbiotic…