260 Dr. Richard Gaton [March 2, 



rather than invigorated. At the south-west corner of the stoa were 

 situated the sanitary arrangements of the precinct. The area en- 

 closed by the stoa was probably a palaestra, where the gymnastic part 

 of the treatment was carried out. We know that Hippocrates was 

 the pupil, not only of his father, Heracleides, the physician, but also 

 of Herodicus, who rehed more upon exercise and gymnastics than 

 upon any other treatment. Hippocrates tells us he beUeved that 

 Herodicus killed some of his patients who had febrile or acute 

 diseases by insisting on too violent exercises. While carefully avoid- 

 ing this error, Hippocrates prescribed exercise largely in suitable 

 cases. Could we transport ourselves backwards in time to the year 

 400 before Christ, we might have seen in this palaestra such sights as 

 the gouty man casting the discus, walking or running round and 

 round the stoa, or going through the sword or spear exercise, 

 grumbling meanwhile at his prescribed meagre diet, or the weakly 

 and ill-developed youth running, throwing the javelin, or engaging 

 in gentle wrestling, drinking the " red water," and taking a full and 

 rich diet. 



Within the portico were many inscribed wall slabs, some referring 

 to the inviolability of the precinct, others bearing wise maxims in 

 regard to health. 



If Dr. Ermerins is correct, many of these existed prior to the 

 time of Hippocrates, and were quoted in his " prorhetics " and 

 " praenotiones." Probably in later times many of the aphorisms 

 and other wise admonitions of Hippocrates were added to the 

 number. We know that at the neighbouring Asklepieion of Cnidus 

 similar precepts termed the "Cnidian sentences," written by the 

 physician Euryphon, were in like manner exposed to view. The 

 records of honours gained by Coan physicians were also conspicuously 

 placed here. 



The south side of the quadrangle consisted of a lofty wall with 

 buttresses supporting the second terrace. This wall was interrupted 

 by a flight of steps up to the second terrace, and by several drinking 

 fountains, one in particular, the sacred spring, of which, no doubt, 

 every patient was made to drink freely. 



Ascending the stairs to the middle terrace we find ourselves in 

 the most ancient part of the precinct, where the various buildings 

 were arranged with much irregularity. Near the centre of the terrace 

 stands the great altar, a structure measuring 12 metres by 8, 

 approached by steps on its western side. In some respects it reminds 

 the visitor of the great altiir of Pergamon, though it is less in 

 dimension. There is difficulty in judging from the remains what its 

 exact details of construction were, but it appears to have been sur- 

 rounded by a colonnade. 



There was a close association between Cos and Alexandria, and I 

 confess to the hope that a shrine of lemhotep, the Egyptian God of 

 Medicine, would have been found here (as there is reason to believe 



