---
title: Hippocrates
author: Mark Cartwright
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Hippocrates/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Hippocrates
_Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_
Hippocrates was born on the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) island of [Kos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kos/) in the 5th century BCE, and he became the most famous physician in antiquity. He established a medical school on the island, wrote many treatises on medical matters, and is, through his systematic and empirical investigation of diseases and remedies, credited with being the founder of modern [medicine](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/medicine/).
### Biographical Details
Information regarding Hippocrates is patchy and unreliable. He was perhaps born c. 460 BCE, but details of his life were speculated upon even in ancient times. One of the oldest sources is the *Life of Hippocrates* credited to Soranus of [Ephesus](https://www.worldhistory.org/ephesos/), himself a physician, who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. Soranus' method of quoting from now lost earlier texts has been an invaluable source of information on ancient medicine. He states that Hippocrates knew several 5th-century sophists, notably [Gorgias](https://www.worldhistory.org/Gorgias/) of Leontini, and was taught medicine by both his father and Herodicus of Selymbria, a gymnastic trainer. We also know that Hippocrates set up and ran a school of medicine on Kos.
[Plato](https://www.worldhistory.org/plato/) mentions Hippocrates in his *[Protagoras](https://www.worldhistory.org/protagoras/)*, suggesting that he worked for fees and believed the body should be treated as a whole (*Phaedrus*). The [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) scholar and medical writer Cornelius Celsus claims that Hippocrates was the first to separate medicine from [philosophy](https://www.worldhistory.org/philosophy/), and other ancient sources also suggest that Hippocrates believed in the importance of diet and exercise for a healthy body. Soranus goes on to inform us that Hippocrates travelled throughout his life and died at Larissa in [Thessaly](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Thessaly/), c. 370 BCE.
In antiquity, many legends arose of Hippocrates' great talents but most of these are likely pure invention. He reportedly discovered that King [Perdiccas](https://www.worldhistory.org/Perdiccas/) II of [Macedon](https://www.worldhistory.org/macedon/)'s health problems were down to lovesickness, he eliminated the [plague](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/plague/) that hit [Athens](https://www.worldhistory.org/Athens/) in 430 BCE by burning fires everywhere, and he treated the philosopher [Democritus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Democritus/) whom everybody thought mad (not without some justification). Hippocrates had three sons who carried on his work - Thessalus, Dracon, and Polybus.
### Hippocratic Corpus
Hippocrates has long been credited with [writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/) a large number of ancient treatises, speeches, and letters on medicine, collectively referred to as the Hippocratic Corpus (*Corpus Hippocraticum*), which was compiled in the [Hellenistic period](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hellenistic_Period/) in Ptolemaic [Alexandria](https://www.worldhistory.org/alexandria/). Modern scholars consider that, on stylistic grounds alone, these texts must actually have been written by multiple authors and point out that there is no reference to Hippocrates ever writing anything in sources contemporary with his lifetime. Scholars, therefore, hold the position that some of the texts were written by Hippocrates but exactly which ones are still debated.
The 3rd-century BCE Corpus was edited again in the 1st century CE by the scholars Dioscurides and Capiton. Several ancient writers, often famous physicians themselves, frequently wrote commentaries on works attributed to Hippocrates, amongst the most notable are Herophilus of Chalcedon (4th-3rd century BCE), Apollonius of Citium (1st century BCE), and [Galen](https://www.worldhistory.org/Galen/) (2nd-3rd century CE).
The Hippocratic texts deal with all manner of medical topics but can be grouped into the four main categories of diagnosis, biology, treatment and general advice for doctors. There are over 60 treatises, each on specific topics, for example, joints, therapy, regime, surgery, physiology, the progression of diseases, purging remedies, and gynecology. The issues of ethics and medicine's relation to other subjects, especially philosophy, are also discussed.
### The Hippocratic Oath
The famous Hippocratic Oath probably appeared after Hippocrates' lifetime and was reserved for a select group of doctors. It was actually a religious document ensuring a doctor operated within and for community values. With the Oath the practitioner swore by [Apollo](https://www.worldhistory.org/apollo/), Hygieia, and Panacea to respect their teacher and not to administer poison, abuse patients in any way, use a knife, or break the confidentiality between patient and doctor. Modern versions of the oath, or similar such statements, are still today sworn by many medical students around the world.
### Conclusion
Hippocrates is credited by historians with moving the subject of medicine away from the previously supernatural and religious approach, which had been closely linked to the Greek [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) of healing [Asclepius](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asclepius/), towards a modern approach of observation, classification, causes and effects, and so on. Even if others before him, such as Alkmaion of Kroton, had also begun to approach medicine in a rational manner and the details of his life and work are few, Hippocrates has, nevertheless, come to be known, just as he was in the ancient world, as the father of modern medicine.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- Bagnall, R. et al. *The Encyclopedia of Ancient History.* Wiley-Blackwell, 2012
- [Boys-Stones et al. *The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies.* Oxford University Press, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199286140/)
- [Hornblower, S. *The Oxford Classical Dictionary.* Oxford University Press, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199545561/)
- [Kinzl, H. *A Companion to the Classical Greek World.* Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1444334123/)
## About the Author
Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share.
## Timeline
- **c. 460 BCE - c. 370 BCE**: Traditional dates for the life of [Hippocrates](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hippocrates/) in [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/), the "father of [medicine](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/medicine/)" and inventor of the Hippocratic Oath for physicians.
## External Links
- [In Our Time, The Hippocratic Oath](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014gdqq)
- [Episode 13: The Oath](http://bedside-rounds.org/episode-13-the-oath/)
- [In Our Time, The Hippocratic Oath](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014gdqq)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Cartwright, M. (2016, April 20). Hippocrates. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Cartwright, Mark. "Hippocrates." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 20, 2016. .
### MLA
Cartwright, Mark. "Hippocrates." *World History Encyclopedia*, 20 Apr 2016, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 20 April 2016. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.