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Galen and Hippocrates

60 second histories

This video covers:  Galen talks to us about Hippocrates and his theories

Of course one of the most famous of the Greek doctors was Hippocrates, not quite as famous as me, Galen, but still a great doctor. Hippocrates wrote many books on medicine, but I do wonder if he actually wrote them all, or if indeed some were written by others. I suppose we’ll never know, I mean Hippocrates was born about four hundred and sixty years before Christ and that’s almost six hundred years before me. It was Hippocrates who developed the theory of humours to explain the causes of disease. Hippocrates also teaches us the importance of observing a patient and to carefully record the symptoms to understand how disease develops. Observation can help you find the cause of the illness and therefore find the right cure, and by keeping these records you can use them in diagnosis of future patients. Interestingly Hippocrates encouraged patients to seek natural remedies for their illnesses instead of looking to the Gods for help. I don’t believe Hippocrates knew as much about anatomy as I do; you see he never dissected a human body in his life.
Eras: 
Ancient Greece
Medicine & Health
Topics: 
Key people
Medicine & health
Character: 
Galen
Key words: 
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