Explain why the Greeks used both natural and supernatural approaches to medicine. (7)
The Greeks used both natural approaches to medicine, such as the four humours, and supernatural ones, such as their belief to the god Asclepios.
They were able to use both methods at the same time because they believedthey were both important part of life.
The Greeks would go to an Asclepion if they were ill. There, they would rest, eat carefully, exercise and sleep, all of which are treatments that we know to be very effective. Meanwhile they believed that the god would make them better. The two approahces can therefore coexist.
Hippocrates' four humours were at the core of natural approaches. Treatments focused on the whole body, diet, exercise and lifestyle. However although all these treatments could be very effective, we now know the theory of the four humours to be incorrect and therefore other treatments, such as bleeding, were of little use. Neither supernatural or natural approaches were 100% effective and so the Greeks used a combination of the two as a treatment.
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