Otorhinolaryngology through the Works of Hippocrates

Abstract

This retrospective survey referes to the philosophers and first scientists of the pre-Hippocratic era, which included the foundation of schools in Greece at the time (e.g. Ionia, South Sicily, Kyrinia). During the ensuing Hippocratic era the foundations of medicine as a science were laid. The concepts developed by Hippocrates and his school are set out in the Corpus Hippocraticum. In many sections of this work reference is made to diseases of the ear, nose, larynx, head and neck. It is difficult no to be impressed by the fact that many of the diagnoses and therapies are not very dissimilar to contemporary approaches. The notion that Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, gave meaning to otorhinolaryngology is also discussed here.

Science in Greece: from the age of Hippocrates to the age of the genome

“…He distinguished medicine from philosophy, setting medicine free from philosophical speculation, superstitions, magic, and religion. He supported the idea that medical treatment must depend on clinical observation and experimentation (1, 4–7). By searching for the natural causes of diseases and by recording the existing knowledge, he set the grounds for medicine to develop as a systematic science.…”

“…In the course of time, Greeks gradually became skeptical of the supernatural influence upon their well‐being and became more interested in explaining natural phenomena and understanding human nature, life, and disease on grounds of rational thought. This innovative approach began in the 6th century BCE due to the development of naturalistic philosophy (1, 3). The Greek pre‐Socratic philosophers tried to discover the true substance of life and the world (3).…”

“…Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus founded the Ionian School around the 7th century BCE, which influenced the evolution of sciences including medicine (1, 6). Pythagoras (580–489 BCE), who believed that the brain is the center of higher activities and introduced the importance of numbers, founded a school of philosophy in Croton in southern Italy (530 BCE) (1). Other significant schools of that time were the medical school of Cnidus in Asia Minor and the Coan School on the island of Cos.…”

“…Other significant schools of that time were the medical school of Cnidus in Asia Minor and the Coan School on the island of Cos. These two schools developed during the 5th century BCE (the school of Cnidus predates the one of Cos) and their leaders were Euryphon and Hippocrates, respectively (1, 6). There were differences between these schools, as the Coans focused more on the patient than the disease, insisted more on the prognosis than the diagnosis, and had a holistic‐psychosomatic approach towards patients.…”

“…On the other hand, the Cnidians focused more on the suffering organs and mainly observed the physical symptoms and signs of the diseases. Among the prominent physicians preceding Hippocrates were Alcmaeon of Croton, Empedocles, Demokedes, and Democretus (1, 3).…”