Essay, Research Paper: Ancient Greek Medicine

Ancient Greek s art of healing was mostly associated withthe worship of Apollo, for whom the oracle at Delphi wasbuilt. According to legend, medicine was taught to Chironby Apollo. Chiron then passed on his knowledge ofmedicine to Aesculapius, who may have been a real manwho lived about 1200 b.c. Aesculapius was later seen as agod and therefore was worshipped in the Greek temples ofhealing. These healing temples were inscribed withrecords of disease treatment that consisted of; rest, exercise,diet, and magic. The Greeks used these elements and body fluids ofurinalysis, bleeding, and herbal applications as the basis ofdiagnostics for many centuries. This method was referred tocollectively as humoral therapy. Hippocrates, often calledthe father of medicine," is credited for much of the ancient
Greeks advancements and discoveries in medicine. DuringHippocrates life from 406-377b.c., he divised a set ofstandards, ethics, and principles for practicing doctors. These standards and rules soon evolved to be referred to asHippocrates Oath and it are still used and sworn by newlygraduated physicians to this day. The Greeks utilized a holistic view of humankind that wasbased on a consideration of four elements and associatedbody fluids. They are; earth- black bile- melancholic, air-phloem- phlegmatic, water- clear bile- sanguine, and fire-flood- choleric. The Greeks believed that the variations inthe admixtures of the body fluids gave rise to variations intemperament and appearance, and could possibly even leadto disease. The prevention and cure of diseases were basedon the maintenance of the appropriate balance of bodyfluids.