From Hippocrates to Nowadays Medicine - Essay Example

On Ancient Medicines “Scientific evidence-meager, fragmentary, and tantalizing though it often proves that disease is older than the human race Thus the medicines are as old as the man. Stone Age man had to suffer from diseases and the ancient remedies related to the medicines were very irrational and connected with blind beliefs. But the person who taught the people to think about the human diseases rationally was Hippocrates of Cos. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine began to achieve acclamation in 5th century B.C. and his image as a leader in medical research and science started taking shape in the same period. Hippocrates was born in 460 B.C. He is also known as the father of spine surgery. His heritage of knowledge and methodology has extended to almost all branches of modern medicine. He stressed his medical practice on observation and the study of human body and thus Hippocrates made the new changes in medical science by accepting the rational notions. Before that the base of medical science was religious beliefs. But he began the very sophisticated and rational method of observing the human body for diagnosing the diseases. Hippocrates and his school followed the holistic concept combining scientific thought with drug therapy, diet schedules and physical and mental exercise. Hippocrates and other Greek doctors used to believe that a doctor should be kept separate from the work done by a priest. Thus Apart from prayers and worship of God for curing the diseases he focused on the change in diet, the useful and advantageous drugs. Maintaining the balance in the body is the key for good health according to Hippocrates. Hippocrates treatise called “On Medicines” is the major work in history of the ancient Greek thoughts. It is a key document to study the medicine in early period and so this treatise has influenced many historians of philosophy as it contains the relevance to the 3rd century B.C. Keywords: blind beliefs, Hippocrates, On Ancient Medicines – the treatise, sophisticated and rational method. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Foot note : 1. pg.1, ‘A History of Medicine’ by Lois N. Magner Introduction Hippocrates always believed that while treating the diseases it is essential to consider the whole human body and not just a series of parts. He was the first physician who accurately described the diseases. He also described the symptoms of pneumonia and epilepsy in children and stressed upon the natural remedial process like rest, good balanced and proper diet, fresh air and hygiene. He also explained that the seriousness of injury depends upon the individual differences. Some individuals are strong enough to cope with the diseases while some are weak. Hippocrates was the first physician who attacked on the traditional attitude that emotions, feelings, thoughts come from the brain heart by telling the truth that they come not through heart but through brain. The treatise, ‘On Ancient Medicine,’ thus can be analyzed from different angles. Controversy Hippocrates’s treatise “On Ancient Medicines” was a controversial text, the controversy between the rationalists and the empirical. The major intention of Hippocrates in this treatise is to fight the medical theorizing of those physicians who are having postulated themselves on hypothesis for their argument. Medicines are not concerned with the ambiguous matters in the sky and under the earth but with the affections from which people suffer in diseases. Here the tone of the first part is to attack the opponents of Hippocrates who can only think about the elementary substance of ideology such as hot, cold, dry, wet, and moist in medicines. Thus they assume that each disease takes place due to one such principle, and opposites are cure for the opposite. While telling the theory of the diseases, Vivian Nutton in his book “Ancient Medicines,” says, “Philistion held that there were three general causes, an imbalance between the body’s elements, a failure of the body to function properly, and external factors such as wounding, excessive heat or cold, and bad food.”2 Further while telling about the good and bad practitioner Hippocrates says that people cannot differentiate between a skillful doctor and a very average doctor. Footnote: 2. “Ancient Medicines” by Vivian Nutton, Page 72, Published 2004 Routledge Medicines and Human Nature Medicines were discovered out of the necessity of the human beings. In part 3 Hippocrates stresses the matter of food. If the human beings could eat the raw food, grass like other animals the diet and food which we are using now would not have been discovered. The man first must have tried this bestial food made him suffer from many diseases, among them who were strong and enough able to fight those diseases would survive and other would perish. In short when the man came to know that the raw and strong food is not suitable for his body, he started finding out another option for the food which will fit to his body. Thus the man started fashioning the food articles according to the nature of his body. Thus the processes of boiling, roasting, baking, grinding, striping were used to make the strong food sober which would suit the human body. According to Hippocrates thus the medicines were discovered. He says, “To such a discovery and investigation what more suitable name could one give than that of Medicine?”3 The invention of medicines occurred due to the necessity of man and for a healthy human life. Medicines are discovered to relieve pains and suffering which the man had to suffer due to the unsuitable diet consumed by man. According to Hippocrates “Medicine was discovered for the health of man, for his nourishment and safety, as a substitute for that kind of diet by which pains, diseases, and deaths were occasioned”4 The Rules of Diet Then in part 5 Hippocrates focuses upon the diet which is taken by the sick person and by the healthy person. According to Hippocrates the same kind of diet does not suit the person in sickness and in healthy circumstances. So, one should change the diet according to the health. According to Hippocrates the diet should be less of that person who is sick. He should balance the diet. Here the writer points out the wrong method of regime of the Greek people and the barbarian people when he says that the Barbarian and the traditional Greek don’t restrict themselves to which they desire for. Actually according to Hippocrates at that time the strong food particle can be made mild by diluting it in the water and preparing soup. Footnote: 3, 4: part 3 “On Ancient Medicine by Hippocrates, http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/ancimed.html, Strong opinion about the Physicians Hippocrates’s tone is always appreciated to those physicians who have great skills. Sometimes the mistakes happen but cent percent accuracy is never possible. But talking about many other physicians the writers says, “Since many physicians seem to me to be in the same plight as bad pilots, who, if they commit mistakes while conducting the ship in a calm do not expose themselves, but when a storm and violent hurricane overtake them, they then, from their ignorance and mistakes, are discovered to be what they are, by all men, namely, in losing their ship.”5 It is a taunt to the hypocrite medical practitioner that when they deceive the people and if the illness is not much serious then they can survive but if the disease is dangerous then the mistakes committed by these medical practitioners would definitely be expensive for them. At that time their mistakes are noticed by all. Consequences of wrong regiment In part 10 and 11 of this treatise the writer has pointed out the bad consequences of the hyper – eating and fasting for two three days. Consuming too much food which cannot be digested or remaining on fasting for a long time both are equally injurious to our health. If a person takes his meal it takes some time for him to digest the meal and within this time without waiting the meal to get digested he supplies the body with additional food that becomes too much for the body and the digesting process becomes slow. So that becomes injurious for his health. On the contrary if a person gets the meal and after digesting the food when the body demands another food and if it cannot be supplied the body remained without food and then the person experiences the same symptoms. In short the status of the food definitely makes a difference in human body according to Hippocrates. Footnote: 5. part 9, On Ancient Medicines by Hippocrates, http://classic.mit.edu/hippocrates/ancimed.html For example the fine or coarse bread, or the wheat with hull or without hull whether mixed with much water or without water all these things makes a great differences and their effect is not similar. And if somebody does not have this knowledge it will not be possible for him to diagnose the diseases man has to suffer. To increase the strength and proper nourishment of body Hippocrates suggests that all the things man eats drinks are devoid of any such moderate quantity. Hippocrates basically focuses on the moderate quantity of any such intense and well marked quality like bread cake and many other things of a similar nature which man is accustomed to use for food with the exception of condiments and confectioneries which are made to gratify the palate and for luxury. If these things are received by the body abundantly there will not be disorder or dissolution. The reason behind this is if these things can be made suitable by mixing them properly and in a moderate quantity. Hippocrates basically focuses on the moderate quantity of the two contradictory things like hot and cold. If consumed separately can be harmful but if mixed together it proves to be beneficial. The ideal method of treating the patient: In part 13 Hippocrates explain the ideal remedies to treat the patient by the two things of contradictory tendencies. And while giving the treatment to the patient a doctor must apply hot for cold, cold for hot, moist to dry and dry to moist. Again he focuses on the diet to cure the injury. According to Hippocrates, “the surest and most obvious remedy is to change the diet which the person used.”6 The knowledge of medicine can be attained when one comprehends the whole subject of medicines properly and it is very necessary for every physician to be a skillful person in this field. He always has an urge to know the relation of the man with the article of food and drink. Footnote: 6. Part 13, “On Ancient Medicines” by Hippocrates, http://classic.mit.edu/Hippocrates/ancimed.html Greek Juice and Indian Rasa – The concept of Ayurveda: According to Hippocrates it is also necessary to know what diseases arise in man from the power and what from structure. Here power means intense and strong juices while structure means the conformations or forms in man. There is much kind of structures in the body which are different from each other. So it is necessary to know the causes of diseases it is important to consider all these things to speculate accurately about the diseases. One should also know the power of juices and their effects on man. In part 14 ippocrates has adopted the same theme of Rasas which exist in the bodies i.e. Juices. The concept of the existence of Juices in the body has been adopted by Hippocrates from Ayurveda. We find similarity between Hindu and Greek medicines which are closely associated with the concept of Rasas which we found in Charaka and Susruta and also in Hippocrates.All of these three medical scholars have noticed the same six Rasas they are Sweet (Madhur), acidity (Amla), saltiness (Lavan), bitterness (TIkta), astringency (Katu), and insipidity (Kasay)7 Hippocrates attacks on those who transfer the art of medicine from cause to hypothesis. When he says, ‘I cannot think in what manner they who advance this doctrine, and transfer Art from the cause I have described to hypothesis, will cure men according to the principle which they have laid down.” According to the theory of Hippocrates hot, cold, dry, moist can never be found unmixed with any other quality. But the same article of meat and drink is used by so called great practitioners. He points out that the cold and hot things do not give us trouble if we use them in mixed way. If they use separately they can be harmful. According to Hippocrates, “But the hot does not loose its heat when mixed with any other thing except the cold; nor again, the cold, except when mixed with the hot.”8 (Part 19, “On Ancient Medicines”) Footnote: 7. “The Pursuit of Comparative Aesthetics: An Interface Between the East and West by Dr. Mazhar Hussain, Robert Wilkinson. 8. Part 19, “On Ancient Medicine,” by Hippocrates translated by Francis Adams http://classic.mit.edu/Hippocrates/ancimed.html Nature of Man and the Medicines Some physicians of Hippocrates’s era used to opine that it is not possible to anybody about the medicines if he doesn’t have the knowledge of the nature of the man. But according to Hippocrates there is no connection between the natures of human body to the art of medicines. The most important thing for the physician according to Hippocrates is to be a skillful physician. He has to take immense efforts if he wants to be a successful physician. He has to think the man from the point of view of articles of food and drink and the occupations and the effects of these things on him. At the time of convalescence, when some disorder take place he should know the exact cause of those disorder and apply the suitable remedies. Conclusion “The Hippocrates philosophy is dedicated to the belief that a pure enzyme-rich diet, complemented by positive thinking and non-invasive therapies, are essential elements on the path to optimum health.”9 (Anonyms) Hippocrates calls the knowledge of medicine as an art and he says that it is very ancient art and we should not reject the ancient art of medicines. On the other hand we should make it accurate by reasoning. Thus he is expecting the rationalism in this practice in the whole treatise. The pillars of the modern medicines are built by Hippocrates and the giant castle of the modern medical science is thus standing on the pillars of ancient medicines. Foot note: 9. link, http://www.hippocratesinst.com/The writer of this quotation is not mentioned Sources: 1. On Ancient Medicine – By Hippocrates, http://classic.mit.edu/Hippocrates/ancimed.html The Internet Classics Archive by Daniel C. Stevenson, Web Atomics World Wide Web presentation is copyright (C) 1994-1998, DanielC. Stevenson, Web Atomics 2. Hippocrates on Ancient Medicine By Mark John Schiefsky published 2005 BRILL, Medicine, Greek and Roman 3. www.sjsu.edu/depts/Museum/hippoc.html 4. History of Medicines by Lois N. Magner, published in 1992, Marcel Dekker 5. From Hippocrates to modern medicine -by Orfanos, CE 6. Ancient Medicine  By Vivian Nutton, Published in 2004, Routledge 7. The Pursuit of Comparative Aesthetics: An Interface Between the East and West By Dr Mazhar Hussain, Robert Wilkinson, published in 2006, Ashgate Publishing Ltd. 8. Hippocrates : the father of spine energy. Historical perspective, www.spinejournal.com 9. http://www.historylearningsite 10. http://www.hippocratesinst.com/ Read More