Biology

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

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Ancient Medicine and Other Treatises In the book, Ancient Medicine and Other Treatises, Hippocrates outlines his theory of medicine. Hippocrates was interested in epidemic diseases and plagues, in the origins of man and embryology. According to his theory, anyone who wishes to investigate medicine correctly always has to consider the seasons of the year, the winds, the rising of the sun, different qualities of water, and much more. Different kinds of bacteria and viruses go around each year in all different types of climates. Once a person figures out the process, they can track any disease they desire. Most people view ancient medicine as just a superstition with an occasional lucky discovery that actually works.

Hippocrates discuses the process by which a disease occurs and then tries to come up with a cure. However, today his cures for these diseases are obsolete. For example, Hippocrates believed that the way to cure a disease was to block inner vessels by a bodily humor.

The four humors in man were identified as phlegm, blood, yellow bile, and black bile, and all had to be in proportion to one another. Balance was seen as a sign of health and imbalance was a haven for disease. Therefore, according to Hippocrates, a base for a treatment would be to evacuate the noxious fluid from vital areas of the body. Excess phlegm needed to be drained gradually from the head so that its sudden decline in his body doesn't overwhelm his senses. It was also important for a young girl to sleep with a man as soon as possible to remove the impediment at the mouth of her uterus. Pregnancy would bring her a cure by opening up her body so that excess fluids can move about freely.

Hippocratics know how to speak the language...