Before and After Hippocrates
One of the best ways to look at how Hippocrates values and thoughts influenced the values on the classical Greeks is to look at how the field of medicine was before and after his time. In this way we can see the way his individual values changed those of Greece as a whole.
Before Hippocrates
The Olympians
Before Hippocrates medicine and values were very different from what they were after his death
- People believed that the gods brought illness as a punishment and there was no way other than being morally good to prevent it.
- Because of this little emphasis was placed on cleanliness, exercise outside of war training.
- Also people didn't focus as much on coming up with new medicines or going to the doctors, instead they focused on praying to the gods.
- People had even even less idea of what was inside the body than after Hippocrates. They believed that inside each person was a fire that kept them warm, inspired them, and kept them alive. Sicknesses were thought to lose the balance of this flame, hence fevers and chills.
- No one viewed medicine as an educated profession. The physician was seen as a job for the people who did not have enough intellect to become philosophers of play writers.
- There were no schools to educate people the profession of the doctors was not uniform and not everyone knew all of the methods.
- There was no moral code for doctors so many practiced to take advantage of their patients and make money.
- Some doctors would intentionally harm their patients for money.
After Hippocrates
Resetting of a Dislocated Shoulder
After the life of Hippocrates many things changed these changes came based on differences between the values of Hippocrates and the values on the Greek people at the time
- Many people began to exercise, eat healthy, and stay clean because they were influenced by the value Hippocrates put on these things.
- They began to see in alignment with Hippocrates values that it was the things mentioned above along with a healthy lifestyle that lead to the prevention of sickness, and if they are not followed that is what makes people sick, not the gods.
- People believed in Hippocrates theory of humors. This theory stated that the body has three liquids inside it; yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegm. he believed that it was imbalance between the four humors that caused sickness. His influence on the thinking of the Greek people can be seen from the fact that he was able to get them to believe a false theory.
- Doctors were seen as some of the people in society that needed to be the most highly educated.
- Doctors followed a more strict moral code looking out for their patients before themselves. Some were still out of line but the majority were better.