~ HIPPOCRATES  or HIPPOKRATES of COS or KOS
               id+ | FATHER OF MEDICINE | 
               id+ | PERSONIFICATION OF MEDICAL ETHICS |
  more precisely   | FATHER OF HIPPOCRATIC (EUROPEAN) MEDICINE | 
  implies          | HIPPOCRATIC SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 
  based upon the CORPUS HIPPORCATUS name for 
  COMPILATIONS OF MEDICAL WORKS which perdured to the 
  RENAISSANCE as the "HIPPOCRATI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE" 
  and the authoritative source of 
  WESTERN (EUROPEAN) MEDICINE and from which 
  EMERGED THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 
  note the names 
       HIPPORATEA  
       HYPOCRATEA
       HIPPOCRATACEAE 
  hx> SORANUS [#] WROTE IN THE 2ND CENTURY AD THAT
      HIPPOCRATES [#] WAS BORN ON THE ISLAND OF COS or KOS 
  ABOUT 460 BC - HE IS PRESENTED AS A PHYSICIAN AND 
  THE FATHER OF MEDICINE - OTHERS PRESENT HIM AS 
  A PARTICULAR MEDICAL SCHOOL 
  IN ANY CASE HIPPOCRATES IS THE MOST CELEBRATED PHYSICIAN EVER
  HIPPOCRATES IS ALSO VIEWED AS A MAN OF LETTERS 
  A PHILOLOGIST 
  A SCHOLAR AND 
  A PHILOSOPHER
  lit+ THE HIPPOCRATIC WRITINGS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM ARE VAST
       and are seen as SIMILAR TO THOSE BY HOMER 
  THOSE WHO POSTULATE HIPPOCRATES DID NOT EXIST MAY BE WRONG 
  MANY IN ADDITION TO SORANUS ASSERT THAT HE WAS 
  BORN IN KOS or COS AND DIED IN LARISSA IN THESSALY 
  PROBABLY BETWEEN 80-104 BC  
  med> THE COLLECTION OF HIS LETTERS AND 
       HIS ACCOUNT OF THE PLAGUE IN ATHENS IS
  CONSIDERED TO BE SPURIOUS AS IS 
  HIS ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY WHICH WAS 
  PROPAGATED BY ARABS AS FABULES ALONG OTHER 
  FABULOUS STORIES THAT REACHED EUROPE 
  DURING THE MIDDLE AGES 
  med> HIPPOCRATIC MEDICINE HELD THAT
       ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND LIVING HABITS
  WERE CAUSATIVE OF AILMENTS instead of
  MYSTERIOUS DIVINE CAUSES and CURSES
  HIPPOCRATIC MEDICAL THEORY PROPOSED THAT
  ILLNESSES REPRESENTED AN IMBALANCE IN
  BODY HUMORS WHICH WERE FOUR
  BLOOD, BLACK BILE, YELLOW BILE and PHLEGM
  note that TO THIS DAY WE MAY SUFFER FROM
       "BAD HUMOR" and that "GOOD HUMOR" is
  viewed as "HEALTHY" 
  note URINE WAS NOT ONE OF THE FOUR HUMORS
  note THE ANCIENTS HAD LITTLE UNDERSTANDING
       OF ANATOMY PHYSIOLOGY and other
  BASIC SCIENTIFIC FACTS and in such a context
  HIPPOCRATIC MEDICINE RELIED ON
  OBSERVATION and DOCUMENTATION or in modern terms
  SEMIOLOGY - THE CLINICAL DISCIPLINE CONCERNED WITH 
  SYMPTOMS SIGNS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION AS SIGNALS 
  COMBINED WITH THE NATURAL HISTORY OR EVOLUTION OF 
  AILMENTS therefore at the time notions of 
  ETIOLOGY or CAUSE were limited as were notions of 
  PATHOGENESIS or MECHANISMS of EXPRESSION OF THE CAUSE
  regretfully scientific advances have to a great extent 
  reduced the clinical capacity of modern physicians to 
  appreciate fully symptoms and to detect visual 
  clinical signs 
  note another neglected ancient component is 
  "NATURAL HEALING PROCESSES" implicit in 
  NATURAL HISTORY 
  regarding NATURAL or "SPONTANEOUS" HEALING 
  ANCIENT PHYSICIANS EMPHASIZED 
  REST IMMOBILIZATION and SLEEP which inherently
  were less RISKY than other alternatives 
  note perhaps because of the then limited knowledge of 
       etiology (causes) and pathogenesis (altered physiology) 
  the HIPPOCRATIC MEDICINE stressed 
  the PRINCIPLE of "PRIMUM NON NOCERE" or 
  "MOST OF ALL - DO NO HARM" 
  note increasing proportion of MODERN MEDICAL TESTS 
       POSE RISKS AND THE PROPORTION OF 
  IATROGENIC or PHYSICIAN CAUSED HARM in modern lingo 
  "COMPLICATIONS" SIDE EFFECTS or mislabeled as 
  IDIOPATHIC or ALLERGY manifestations
  note perhaps related to the above the core
       HIPPOCRATIC PRINCIPLE STRESSED
  "PRIMUM NON NOCERE" 
  to this day is a central principle of
  THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH or alternative versions
  DEFINING THE CODE OF ETHICS OF MEDICINE to which
  PHYSICIANS PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE 
  note presently the increasing highly effect of  
       medical pharmacologic agents also call for 
  "PRIMUM NON NOCERE" BECAUSE THE SIDE EFFECTS and 
  UNINTENDED EFFECTS OF THERAPIES ARE INCREASINGLY 
  FREQUENT AND SERIOUS 
  "PRIMUM NON NOCERE" ALSO APPLIES TO THE UNBORN 
  MEDICATIONS CAN BE TERATOGENIC and a prime example is 
  THOLIDOMIDE proven to have caused 
  EPIDEMIC OF MALFORMATIONS IN THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN 
  THOLIDOMIDE was widely used by PREGNANT WOMEN 
  BECAUSE IT WAS AN EFFECTIVE MEDICATION TO REDUCE 
  EMESIS GRAVITARUM or VOMITING DURING EARLY GESTATION 
  med> hx> HIPPOCRATIC MEDICINE PRODUCED AN IMPORTANT 
           LEGACY OF CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS as for example 
  HIPPOCRATIC FINGERS or CLUBBBING WERE RECONGIZED AS 
  A SIGN OF PULMONARY and CARDIAC PATHOLOGY
  med> HIPPOCRATIC MEDICINE SPOKE OF ILLNESSES AS
       ACUTE or CHRONIC
  ENDEMIC or EPIDEMIC and such concepts as
  PROXYSM  CONVALESCENCE
  med> HIPPOCRATES IS REGARDED AS A PIONEER
       OF CHEST SURGERY 
  lit+ hx> A PHYSICIAN SERVING AUGUSTUS NAMED HYPOKRAS [#] 
           WROTE THE MOST ANCIENT AND VALUABLE COMMENTARY 
  KNOWN AS "DE ARTICULUS" attr to APOLLONIUS CITIENSIS [#] 
  CONCERNED WITH 
  DE NATURA HOMINIS - THE NATURE OF MANKING
  DE SALUBRI VICTUS RATIONE - DIETS
  DE RATIONE VICTUS IN MORBIS ACUTUS - ACUTE DISORDERS 
  PRAENOTIONS - PREMONITIONS 
  PRAEDICTIONS - PREDICTIONS OR PROGNAOSIS 
  APHORISMI - APHORISMS 
  DE MORBIS VULGARIBUS - FREQUENT DISEASES 
  DE FRACTURIS - FRACTURES 
  DE MORIBUS etc - ON DYING 
  A LEADING EDITION IS BY LITTRE [#] OF PARIS IN 1839
  med> THE HIPPOCRATIC COLLECTION IS EXTENSIVE AND
       DIFFICULT TO CLASSIFY
  THE MEDICAL HIPPOCRATIC SYSTEM
  DIVIDES DISEASES INTO TWO CLASSES
  THOSE DUE TO GENERAL INFLUENCES LIKE SEASONS WATER AND
  THOSE DUE TO PERSONAL (PRIVATE) CAUSES
  HIS MEDICAL PRACTICE WAS SO CAUTIOUS AS TO BE ALMOST FEEBLE
  LEADING TO REPROACHES OF LETTING PATIENTS DIE 
  lit+ SOCRATES IS GIVEN CREDIT FOR MANY MAXIMS INCLUDING
       "  WHAT CAN NOT BE CURED BY MEDICINE
          IS CURED BY THE KNIFE                       <maxim
          WHAT CAN NOT BE CURED BY THE KNIFE
          IS CURED BY FIRE "
  art> poetry> "ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS " or            <maxim
               "LIFE IS SHORT AND ART ENDURES" 
   maxim> ARS LONGA  VITA BREVIS " or
              ARTS PERDURE  LIFE IS EPHEMERAL
  or alt versions attr to HIPPOCRATES [#]
  ART IS LASTING
  LIFE IS SHORT
  OPPORTUNITY IS ELUSIVE
  EXPERIMENT IS DANGEROUS
  JUDGMENT IS DIFFICULT
  cont> see> MEDICINE
  lit+ HIPPOCRATIC OATH COULD BE SEEN AS 
       AN INDENTURE AMONG PHYSICIANS FOR HAVING BEEN 
  TAUGHT MEDICAL SKILLS
  also IT MAY REFLECT A BODY OF PYTHAGOREAN BELIEFS
  THEN ACCEPTED IN GREECE
  " I SWEAR BY APOLLO THE PHYSICIAN
    BY AESCULAPIUS HYGEIA AND PANACEA ...
    TO CONSIDER DEAR TO ME AS MY PARENTS
    HIM WHO TAUGHT ME THIS ART ...
    TO LOOK UPON HIS CHILDREN AS MY OWN BROTHERS ...
    I WILL PRESCRIBE REGIMEN FOR THE GOOD ...
    NEVER TO HARM TO ANYONE ...
    NOR GIVE ADVICE WHICH MAY CAUSE DEATH ...
    I WILL KEEP SECRET AND NEVER REVEAL ... "
    {note THE ABOVE OATH IS REGARDED BY
          MANY CURRENT LEADERS AS
    "OLD FASHIONED" BUT ON THE OTHER HAND
    THE SURGE OF "CORPORATIONS" ENGAGED IN
    "HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT" RAISES THE QUESTION
    OF WHAT ARE THE ETHICAL LIMITS OF THOSE
    WHOSE DRIVING PRINCIPLES ARE TO ACCUMULATE MONEY 
    EVEN BY ILLEGAL ACTS IN THE HOPE OF NOT BEING CAUGHT 
    EVEN IF CAUGHT SUCH "CORPORATE CRIMES" 
    GUILTY VEREDICTS ARE "PUNISHED" AS  
    "COMMERCIAL" RATHER THAN "CRIMINAL" 
    THE CORPORATE CRIMINALS AS INDIVIDUALS 
    ESCAPE AND ARE NOT CONDEMNED NEITHER TO 
    PAY FINES NOR TO SERVE INCARCERATION 
    INSTEAD THEIR CORPORATION MAY BE FINANCIALLY PUNISHED  
    WHICH IMPLIES THAT MOST OFTEN THE PUNISHED ARE 
    THE SHARE HOLDERS INSTEAD OF THE RESPONSIBLE  
    CORPORATE LEADERS  
    see> GALEN  
    cont> see> MEDICINE    see> IMAGES  

    20210812 ww