Hippocrates 460? ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ 370? B.C. is acknowledged as the father of modern medicine. He was born on the island of Kos, and taught medicine there before dying in Larissa. He is known as the founder of holistic medicine, because he was the first to attribute illness to be one of the four elements ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ fire, water, earth, and air ?óÔé¼ÔÇ£ rather than an affliction given by the gods. However, locals believed Hippocrates was a descendant of Asklepios, god of medicine. Hippocrates himself was a good example of his philosophy: he died aged 104. He is associated with the Hippocratic...
commonsense and factual inaccuracies. His suggestions about diet and exercise are as valid today as they were 2,400 years ago and also his use of observation. However, his belief in the four humours black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, blood wasn't entirely wrong. Strangely enough, this theory dominated medical treatments until the 17th century, but the importance of exercise and diet was forgotten after the Romans! Hippocrates' most important contributions were in the development of the medical profession and in a code of conduct for doctors, which shows that he is an important person in the history of medicine.