Ancient Greek Medicine

Background Information 

•  Grew more than enough food and traded with many other Mediterranean countries. 
•  They used slaves which gave the Greeks time to educate themselves. 
•  Wartime wounds needed treatments and doctors learn about anatomy. 
•  Wealthier people could employ doctors. 
•  Improvements in the strength of materials helped to make better surgical instruments. 

Natural Beliefs and Treatments – The Theory of the Four Humours 

•  Aristotle suggested the body was made up of four humours – blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. These were linked to the four seasons and the four elements. They need to be in balance for good health. 
•  Treatments developed from the theory aimed at bringing humours into balance. You could get rid of an excess humour by purging, vomiting or blood-letting. 

Natural Beliefs and Treatments – Hippocrates 

• Hippocrates is acknowledged as the father of modern medicine. He was born on the island of Kos. 
•  He believed in natural causes of disease, and encouraged doctors to treat illness using natural methods. 
•  The Hippocratic Oath is a promise made by doctors to obey rules of behaviour in their professional lives. Doctors still take the Hippocratic Oath today! 
•  The Hippocratic Corpus is a collection of medical…