Medicine in Ancient Greece and Hippocrates

The concept of medicine, that is, performing certain rituals and practices as well as the use of natural plants and herbs, is believed to have been first introduced by scholars in ancient Greece. People in Ancient Greek society were observant of other societies and civilizations surrounding them, adopting the practices they deemed successful as well as adapting other civilization's practices in order to make them better suitable for their society. As a result, this ancient Greek medicine had influences rooted in the neighboring Egyptian and Indian civilizations. These Greek medical practices were first recorded in philosopher Homer's epic poems, in which the Greek way of life was ultimately revealed.

Medical practices in ancient Greece often embodied numerous accounts of symbolism as well, for instance, the serpent was said to resemble medicine in its entirety. The serpent was thought to have been a sacred creature, because of its alleged immunity to illnesses and disease. According to ancient Greeks, the serpent's primary purpose was to scare people, as it would cause the person to suffer from shock which would allow them to see the Greek gods. It was an honor to be among the Greek gods and goddesses, and the gods possessed the power to heal the "victim" of the wound.

One of the first medical schools in the world was founded in ancient Greece and it was founded by renowned Greek philosopher Hippocrates, who founded his school of medicine in Cos, Greece. The curriculum at this medical school consisted of Hippocrates and his fellow educators teaching what was known as the Corpus Hippocratic. The Corpus Hippocratic was a written record of all of Hippocrates' studies and observations throughout his lifetime. Hippocrates is perhaps the most well-known Greek doctor, not only because of the establishment of his medical school, but because of his numerous other contributions to field of medicine. Hippocrates studied the human body thoroughly and from his observations, his practices were derived. He is credited as being the first person to recognize and diagnosis what would later became known as "pneumonia".

In Greek culture, the concept of medicine also consists of four humors for each element, and they are blood for air and black bile phlegm for water. If the humors were balanced, a person was thought to have a good personality; however, if they were not balanced, a person was thought not to have a desirable personality. Additionally, in Greek culture, up until recently, religion and medicine often went hand-and-hand.

Another important person in Greek medicine was Aesclepius, the most important Greek god associated with medicine and healing. Aesclepius was the son of the god Apollo and the goddess Coronos, and he used his powers to heal and raise people from the dead. He was also willed by Zeus, because he was forced to be able to make all men immortal.