14 FATHERS OF BIOLOGY. 



some, is to be preferred to that which is better, but 

 distasteful." 



" Life is short and the art long ; the opportunity fleet- 

 ing ; experience fallacious and judgment difficult. The 

 physician must not only do his duty himself, but must 

 also make the patient, the attendants and the externals, 

 co-operate." 



Hippocrates appears to have travelled a great deal, 

 and to have practised his art in many places far distant 

 from his native island. A few traditions of what he did 

 during his long life remain, but differences of opinion 

 exist as to the truth of these stories. 



Thus one story says that when Perdiccas, the King 

 of Macedonia, was supposed to be dying of consump- 

 tion, Hippocrates discovered the disorder to be love- 

 sickness, and speedily effected a cure. The details of 

 this story scarcely seem to be worthy of credence, more 

 especially as similar legends have been told of entirely 

 different persons belonging to widely different times. 

 There are, however, some reasons for believing that 

 Hippocrates visited the Macedonian court in the exer- 

 cise of his professional duties, for he mentions in the 

 course of his writings, among places which he had 

 visited, several which were situated in Macedonia ; and, 

 further, his son Thessalus appears to have afterwards 

 been court physician to Archelaus, King of Macedonia. 



Another story connects the name of Hippocrates with 



