Ancient Medicine

• Hippocrates: Ancient Greek physician who created the theory of the four humours
• Known as the father of Medicine
• Created the fundamental principles of being a doctor:

  • Respect for human life has to come first and even above the law
  • A doctor must never harm a patient in any of their treatment
• Believed in the idea of the four humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile
• Clinical observation is still followed today; doctors study symptoms, take notes, and compare with previous cases
• Believed in the healing power of nature: rest, sleep, fresh air, exercise, and a healthy diet
• Galen: Physician in ancient Rome who developed Hippocrates’ theories further
• Wrote more than 350 books about medicine
• His teachings were promoted by the Church because they fitted with Christian ideology
• Built upon the theory of the four humours by Hippocrates
• Introduced The Theory of Opposites: treatment should be something directly opposite to the imbalance
• Believed in the unique mix of humours for perfect health and the need to balance them
• Al Razi (Rhazes) and Ibn Sina (Avicenna): Islamic doctors who wrote huge medical encyclopaedias
• Al-Razi explained the difference between smallpox and measles, aiding in diagnosis
• Ibn Sina's "Canon of Medicine" collected knowledge from ancient Greek and Islamic worlds
• Al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis) known as the 'Father of modern surgery' and invented 26 new surgical tools and techniques
• Medicine: The science or practice of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease
• The four humours: The belief that the body has four liquids which must be in balance for health
• Symptom: A physical or mental sign that something is wrong with the body or mind
• Caliph: The leader of Sunni Islam
• Diagnosis: When a doctor identifies the illness a patient has
• Secular: Something not connected to religion
• Physician: A person qualified to practice medicine
• Encyclopedia: A book giving information on many subjects or aspects of one subject