Hyppocratic Writings.
THE OATH
"I
swear by Apollo the healer . . .
I will pay the same respect to my master in the Science as to my
parents . . . and pay all my debts to him. I will regard his
sons as my brothers and teach them the Science . . . without
fee or contract. . .
I will use my power to help the sick to the best of my
ability and judgment; I will abstain from harming or wronging any
man by it.
I will not give a fatal draught to anyone . . . Neither will
I give a woman means to procure an abortion. .
.
Whatever I see or hear, professionally or privately, which
ought not to be divulged, I will keep secret and tell no
one. . ."1a
THE CANON
"Although
the art of healing is the most noble of all the arts, yet,
because of the ignorance both of its professors and of their
critics, it has at this time fallen into the least repute of them
all. The chief cause for this seems to me to be that it is
the only science for which states have laid down no penalties
for malpractice. Ill-repute is the only punishment and this
does little harm to the quacks . . ."1b
THE SCIENCE OF MEDICINE
"I
would define medicine as the complete removal of the distress
of the sick, the alleviation of the more violent diseases
and the refusal to undertake to cure cases in which the disease
has already won the mastery, knowing that everything is not
possible to medicine."1c
APHORISMS
"In
every illness, a healthy frame of mind and an eager
application of victuals is good, The reverse is bad."1d
Sudden death is more common in those who are naturally fat than in
the lean."1e
"It
is better not to treat those who have internal cancers since, if
treated, they die quickly; but if not treated they last a long
time."1f
THE SACRED DISEASE
"It
ought to be generally known that the source of our pleasure,
merriment, laughter and amusement, as of our grief, pain, anxiety
and tears, is none other than the brain. It is
specially the organ which enables us to think, see and
hear, and to distinguish the ugly and the beautiful, the bad and
the good, pleasant and unpleasant. . . It is the brain too
which is the seat of madness and delirium, of the fears
and frights which assail us . . ."1g
"The
majority of maladies may be cured by the same things as caused
them."1h
DREAMS
"When
the body is sleeping it receives no sensations, but the soul
being awake at the time perceives everything . . . In
short, during sleep the soul performs all the functions of both
body and soul. A correct appreciation of these things implies
considerable wisdom."1i
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