Hippocratic medicine origins...

[Guest guest]

When we're talking about Hippocrates,

we have to give homage to the Egyptians, since they had formulated a

complete system of medicine

long before the Greeks (specialized surgery, pharmacy, dentistry,

veterinary, embalming, gynecology, cardiology..

and even auricular cauterization).

 

Read " Medicine in the Days of the Pharaohs " by Halioua and Ziskind, 2005,

Harvard Press pgs. 184-185

" Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.), the celebrated leader of the school of Cos, was

himself influenced by Egyptian

medical thought... the Hippocratic treatises certainly contain a number of

borrowings from Egyptian medicine,

including three methods for forecasting birth taken almost in their entirety

from the Carlsberg papyrus,

as well as a paragraph on the origin of sperm, which was said to be located

in the spine. "

It has been purported that Hippocrates visited Egypt and learned the

Mysteries.

Other famous sayings of Hippocrates may be borrowings from Egyptian medical

papyri.

 

Persia conquered Egypt in 525 BC. and after that point, the Mysteries were

much easier to access

(they were kept tightly guarded for millennia).

Both timing and proximal location makes Egypt a major influence for

Hippocratic organization

of medicine.

 

As far as both physical and intellectual trade between Egypt and India

(Ayurvedic medicine),

it has been written that this had been circulating for 2008 years,

since the reign of Augustus in 1 CE, when Rome had conquered Egypt.

but this was at least 3 centuries after Hippocratic times.

 

Also, Hebraic, Alexandrian and Roman medicine was influenced by Egyptian

medicine.

Hebrew people lived in Egypt since at least 1500 B.C.

Ptolemic rule of Egypt was from 305 B.C. - 30 B.C.

and Roman rule of Egypt was from 30 B.C. - 639 A.D.

One could say that whoever had control of Egypt in ancient times, had

control of the Western world.

 

Since Egypt had at least 2800 years of indigenous rule dating back 5100

years,

we can marvel at their advances in medicine and technology predating

Hippocrates

and also give them some credit for where we are today.

To credit Hippocrates as the " father of medicine " instead of " Imhotep " or

" Huang Di "

is surely Euro-centric thinking.

 

I'm interested in Hebraic medicine as well.

I know that Yehuda wrote about using a dove in traditional Hebraic medicine

a couple of years ago.

Some aspects of medicine are indigenous and others are borrowed.

In any case, let's give credit where credit is due.

 

 

K

 

 

 

On Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 9:42 PM, adividya <adividya wrote:

 

>

>

> What is the source for saying:

>

>

> " The Galenic/Hippocratic method were heavily influenced by Asian systems of

> thought. "

>

> That would be a fascinating topic of discussion.

>

> In my simple study of Classical Western Medicine, I've not come across any

> solid references for this kind of influence. Galen, who lived in the

> cosmopolitan Roman world would surely have had some kind of exposure to

> Asian traditions, but 'heavily....'? Sushruta Samhita of Ayurveda introduces

> a 4-humour system that is similar to the Galenics (adding blood to the three

> doshas- which is akin to the sanguine humour), but their elemental

> correspondences do have differences.

>

> Then there is Hippocrates, who lived pre-Alexander (who definitely bridged

> at least Persia and India with the West), his influence of the East seems

> even further. Was there even much trade (that we know about) with the West

> in the Warring States times? Surely wandering ascetics and immortals who

> aren't bound by time and space can communicate without limitation, but as

> far as a tracable historical influence...

>

> Anyways, surely later on in the medieval and later times, there was much

> exchange of information on both sided of the silk road. Have you all seen

> references to Chinese medical theory or therapies being used in the West-

> Europe, Islamic empires, etc?

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

 

Turtle Island Integrative Health

 

 

TCM Review director

CA State Board Prep Courses

www.tcmreview.com