Hippocrates

Hippocrates of Kos (; Ancient Greek: Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, romanized: Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; c. 460 – c. 370 BC), also known as Hippocrates II, named after his grandfather Hippocrates I (also Hippocrates of Kos or Hippocrates I of Kos) was a Greek physician and philosopher of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referred to as the "Father of Medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field, such as the use of prognosis and clinical observation, the systematic categorization of diseases, and the (later discredited) formulation of humoral theory. His studies set out the basic ideas of modern-day specialties, including surgery, urology, neurology, acute medicine and orthopedics, and advanced the systematic study of clinical medicine. The Hippocratic school of medicine revolutionized ancient Greek medicine, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields with which it had traditionally been associated (theurgy and philosophy), thus establishing medicine as a profession. Hippocrates is also widely recognized for his contributions to medical ethics, being credited with the Hippocratic Oath that remains in use today. Works associated with Hippocrates, called the Hippocratic Corpus, also summed up the medical knowledge of previous schools, and prescribed acceptable practices for physicians. Nevertheless, very little is known concretely about what Hippocrates himself thought, wrote and did, because his achievements were often conflated with those of the practitioners of Hippocratic medicine and the writers of the Hippocratic Corpus.