Hippocrates - The Father of Medicine

Hippocrates was born on the island of Cos, off the southwest coast of Asia Minor, or
present-day Turkey, around 460 B.C.
He is considered as the founder of medicine because he made medicine as a rational
science, he freed medicine from the shackles of magic, superstition, and the supernatural.
While modern medicine has changed greatly since the time of Hippocrates, his dedication to
science changed medicine forever.
To break the myth about medicine he collected data and conducted experiments to show that
disease was a natural process; that the signs and symptoms of a disease were caused by the
natural reactions of the body to the disease process; and that the chief role of the physician
was to aid the natural resistance of the body to overcome the metabolic imbalance and
restore health and harmony to the organism.
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Hippocrates soon began to view the treatment of the human body differently than his
predecessors and contemporaries. His views on medicine, including his assertion that
medicine should be considered distinct from philosophy and other disciplines, were
revolutionary at the time. This even led to Hippocrates serving a 20 year prison sentence.
However, during his incarceration, he wrote many medical manuscripts, including The
Complicated Body.
Because of his significant contribution, many medical terms and principles are named after
Hippocrates. The Hippocratic Oath is an important promise taken by those who intend to
practice medicine. Those who take the oath promise to do no harm to their patients, among
other principles.