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Causes
- Hippocrates and the Four Humours: Hippocrates was born in Greece in 460 BC and is regarded by many as the father of modern medicine. Around 60 texts are attributed to Hippocrates, although many may have been written by his followers. He was the first physician to regard the body as a whole, to be treated as a whole, rather than individual parts. As a result, Hippocrates based his thinking around the Four Humours. He believed that the human body contain blood, phlegm, yellow bile nad black bile. The Four Humours were to be kept in balance if a person was to be healthy.
- Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Oath: Hippocrates demanded that all life be respected and that if a doctor did not know how to treat an illness that he should refrain from anything that could be considered harmful. He believed that there should confidentially. This is called the Hippocratic Oath and is still used today. It makes it cler that doctors should follow a strict set of rules on behaviour, keeping high standards of treatment. They have to work for the benefit of the patients.
- Hippocrates and Clinical Observation: He developed and promoted Clinical Observation and showed how important it was to observe and carefully record the symptoms and development of diseases. He said doctors should study a patient's symptoms (breathing, temperature, heartbeat, urine) and ask about how the illness had changed. Their notes would then help them to become more accurate in choosing the right cure. These notes could then be used to help with the diagnosis and treatment of future patients.
- Galen: Galen extended Hippocrates’ ideas with the Theory of Opposites which promoted the balancing of the Four Humours. For example, Galen suggested that too much phlegm, which was linked to water and the cold, could be cured by eating hot peppers. The main treatment which took place in the Middle Ages was bloodletting. Classical texts like those of Galen continued to be very influential in the Middle Ages due to the influence of the Church, the importance of book learning and the lack of alternative theories.
- The importance of book learning: Many people could not read in the Middle Ages. This meant that being widely read was a sign of intelligence. A good physician was considered to be one who had read many books, rather than one who had treated a lot of patients. Having read the world of Hippocrates and Galen was proof that a physician was worth the money he was paid. The authority of these classical texts was so strong that people believed them even when there was actual, physical evidence that suggested they were wrong.
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Effects
- Hippocrates was significant in the development of medicine because he developed the Theory of the Four Humours which influenced ideas about the causes of disease for hundred of years after his death. As a result, treatments of disease in the Middle Ages were also based on Hippocrates's' Four Humours. This was important because the Theory of the Four Humours was incorrect so Hippocrates' influence hindered medical progress in the long-term.
- Hippocrates was significant in the development of medicine because he created the Hippocratic Oath which is still used today. This led to more doctors refraining from taking medical risks, allowing rom fr medicine to develop as doctors realised that they needed new ideas to cure diseases. It led to doctors acting more responsibly towards the patients, allowing medicine to develop as it was more respected and appreciated more.
- Hippocrates was significant in the development of medicine because he developed and promoted Clinical Observation, which led to doctors having a better understanding about different diseases. With more information, it was easier to search for a cure and treat diseases with better cures. As more doctors used this, medical knowledge developed, and with each patient, doctors knew more and more, increasing the patient's chances of surviving
- Galen was significant in the development of medicine because he was very popular with the Church, so his ideas were adapted by man doctors. His ideas were very influential in the Medieval Period, however due to his ideas, and their popularity, other cures and ideas were not developed, meaning the treatment was used despite its unsuccessfulness. Galen's ideas hindered medical development, by reducing the ability of other doctors to come up with their own ideas.
- The influence of Hippocrates and Galen was significant in the long-term because in the Medieval Period, a good physician was one who had read many books rather than treating many patients. Many people paid good money for treatments that they knew little about, and may be totally unsuccessful. There was little room for physicians to really understand diseases, as to be a good doctor, one had to be well read (reading books written by Galen and Hippocrates). Not everything they read would be true, but they would have to use it regardless.
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