Though Hygeia had been the subject of a local cult since at least the 7th century BC, she did not begin to spread out until the Oracle at Delphi recognized her, and after the devastating Athens plague in 429 and 427 BC and in Rome in 293 BC. Her primary Temples were in Epidaurus, Corinth, the island of Cos and Pergamon.
Ancient Greece was much different to the Greece of today. In Ancient Times, Greece was a collection of City States. Each of these States, was independent from the others, but shared a similar culture and religious beliefs. Despite the lack of a coherent government, the Greeks developed a society that matched, if not bettered, that of the Ancient Egyptians.
Medical practice in Ancient Greece, like Egypt, was based largely upon religious beliefs. The cult of Asklepius grew in popularity and was a major provider of medical care. This cult, developed old theories and introduced several treatments, similar to modern “alternative medicines”.
The Ancient Greeks though, made major strides in medical knowledge. The works of Hippocrates and his followers, led to several scientific facts, being recorded for the first time. Perhaps more significantly, the work of these philosophers began a tradition of studying the cause of disease, rather than looking at the symptoms when prescribing a cure.
The legacy of the Ancient Greek world on medical practice has been great. The Hippocrates Theory of the Four Humours was, for a long time, the basis upon which to develop medical reasoning. Likewise, the methodology employed by the Greeks, has to a large extend been retained and modified, to form what we now consider to be “conventional medicine”.
Hippocrates contributions revolutionized the practice of medicine. So revered was Hippocrates, that his teachings were largely taken as too great to be improved upon and no significant advancements of his methods were made for a long time.
The Hippocrates theories dismissed the notion that magic or spirits could cause or cure disease. Instead, people such as Hippocrates, argued that the doctor should not apply the same theory for the cause of a disease to every case. Instead, the doctor ought to observe the patient carefully and make a judgment after careful consideration of the symptoms. This, differed from the observations of the Egyptians, in that there was no “prescribed” method of treating the disease and superstition and religion were not part and parcel of the Hippocrates method of treating the patients.
Essentially, Hippocratic medicine allowed diseases to run their natural course, with doctors giving treatments such as herbal remedies to ease pain. Only when absolutely necessary, and after a reasonable period of observation and thought, should a doctor resort to Surgery, which in a world without anesthetics, was not always successful.
The Four Humours, were liquids within the body: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. There could be connected to the four seasons of the year: yellow bile with summer, black bile with autumn, phlegm with winter and blood with spring.
Hippocrates and other Greek practitioners argued that the balance of the Four Humours would be most affected in those particular seasons. For example, if someone has a fever, they would have been thought to have had too much blood in their body. The logical cure therefore is to 'bleed' the patient.
Use of the Four Humours as a diagnostic tool, would result in doctors looking for symptoms: the first time that clinical observation of a patient was recorded.
To consider dear to me as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him. To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone the precepts and the instruction.
I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never to harm anyone.
To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug or give advice which may cause his death.
Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion.
But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.
I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.
In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.
All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.
If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times, but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.”
Alexander the Great, not only had a talent on the battlefield (he created a huge empire between 334 and 326 BC), but was also a man who appreciated science and philosophy. A lasting tribute to him is the City of Alexandria, in the modern day Egypt. This City was unique in ancient times, as it provided physicians and doctors with opportunities that had hither to been denied.
In Alexandria was built a massive library that contained the works of all of the greatest philosophers of the day, such as Aristotle and Plato. These men argued that the soul of a person left the body upon death and that, therefore, dissection of the body was permissible. The influence of these philosophers in Alexandria was such that dissection was, for the first time, allowed to happen in Alexandria. This allowed doctors to see the workings of the body & have led to a greater understanding of physiology.
These practices led to the development of theories of a nervous system (Herophilus) which were later developed and tested by doctors such as Erastistratus (Greek first cardiac arrhythmologist in history. Famous for his works on human cadavers. A royal physician. 304-250 BC).
