258 Dr. Richard Gaton [March 2, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, March 2, 1906. 



The Right Hon. Lord Alverstonb, G.O.M.G. M.A. LL.D. F.R.S., 



Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Richard Caton, M.D. F.R.C.P., 

 of Liverpool. 



Hippocrates and the Neivly Discovered Health Temple at Cos. 



After exhibiting three portraits of Hippocrates, and giving a 

 brief sketch of his history, his work at Cos, his influence in freeing 

 medicine from ancient superstition, his marvellous powers of obser- 

 vation and scientific insight, and his lofty conception of the un- 

 selfish aims which ought to characterise the physician. Dr. Caton 

 showed photographs of Cos, and of the ancient tree under which, 

 according to tradition, Hippocrates was accustomed to give medical 

 advice and counsel to the people in the town of Cos. He then 

 traced the sacred way which leads to the Asklepieion, or Health 

 Temple. Before describing the remains of this great Coan sanc- 

 tuary, which the labours of Dr. Rudolph Herzog, of Tubingen, have 

 brought to light during the past two years. Dr. Caton briefly 

 recounted the principal temples and sanitary departments, which 

 were comprised in such of the Greek Asklepieia as have thus far 

 been excavated, and especially at Epidaurus. 



The great Health Temple of Cos was situated two miles from the 

 sea, at an elevation of about 320 feet, at a point where the range 

 of mountains, which rises on the south coast of Cos to a height of 

 about 2H00 feet, springs from the gentle slopes of the plain. 



Earthquakes, with disturbance of the soil, the growth of vegeta- 

 tion, the evil deeds of the lime-burner, together with the building 

 of various churches and mosques, had so completely masked the 

 site that, until three years ago, not a living soul knew that the 

 Havayta rrj? Taporov, with the gardens round it, was the site of the 

 famed Askle])ieion. Two British archaeologists, Mr. W. R. Paton 

 and Mr. E. L. Hicks, while searching Cos for inscriptions, with much 

 acuteness suggested this as a probable site. The situation is a 

 remarkably beautiful one, commanding delightful views on all sides. 

 Standing on three step-like terraces, the buildings at present exca- 

 vated cover an area of about ISO metres from north to south, and 

 al)out 129 from east to west. The spectator sees to the south the 

 range of mountains I have mentioned ; to the north the verdant 

 plain of Cos, with the white houses and trees of the town to the 



