52 SCIENCE IN GRECO-ROMAN ANTIQUITY 



scientious physician noting every day the state of 

 his patient, practising " his art with reflection," and 

 hating empty hypotheses. Elsewhere, the author of 

 the fragment entitled : On the Sacred Disease (epilepsy) 

 pours scorn on those who attribute its cause to a 

 Divinity, Hera, Poseidon or Ares. Epilepsy is not a 

 more sacred disease than any other, for it is due to 

 the same natural causes. All is equally human and 

 divine in the reality which contains nothing miraculous 

 or mythical. Mental diseases, like all others, must be 

 treated by a suitable regimen. Together with these 

 general considerations, the Hippocratic writings con- 

 tain more definite theories, but these are ofttimes 

 contradictory. It is difficult, in particular, to know 

 exactly what principles of medicine were taught by 

 Hippocrates (460-350 B.C.). One thing is certain, 

 that he, more than any other, helped to base medical 

 science on observation and experience, and to free it 

 from rash philosophical speculations. He was more- 

 over a remarkable surgeon. Littre has reconstructed 

 his doctrine as follows : Hippocrates starts from the 

 principle that there is no other internal force in the 

 human body but its natural heat. Hence the essential 

 cause of diseases must be looked for in the changes 

 of the seasons which affect the human constitution. 

 The air also plays an important part. Diet is less 

 important because its errors only produce individual 

 diseases. The pathogeny of Hippocrates is purely 

 humoral, it has its roots in the pre-Socratic philosophy 

 and draws its inspiration from Alcmaeon. Perfect 

 health corresponds to a perfect equilibrium in the 

 proportion and qualities of the four radical humours : 

 blood, phlegm or pituite, yellow bile and black bile. 

 Illness arises from the superabundance, alteration or 

 displacement of one of these humours. In an unhealthy 

 state, these may collect and be expelled (there is then 

 a crisis). If the evacuation be incomplete congestion 



