HIPPOCRATES. 



Vqi school > founded by the Asclepiades or descendant* of 

 cnati JEaculapius. Hippocrates himself belonged to that fa- 

 ~~~.~~* mily, and is reckoned by his biographers the isth in 

 a direct line from that personage. Among the number 

 of his ancestors was Podalirius, the son of jf.culapius, 

 who, along with his brother Machaon, followed the 

 Grecian array in the Trojan war. His genealogy by 

 the mother's side waa equally honourable ; as, in thu 

 line, he was the 20th descendant of Hercules. These 

 may be fabulous, but they were credited 

 ancient*, and tended to increase the venera- 

 tion in which the character of this great physician was 

 held. Very few details of the life of Hippocrates have 

 been transmitted to us ; but the singular eminence of 

 his character make* the biographer dwell with pleasure 

 ices, which, in the life of another man, 

 unworthy of attention. Hence a variety 

 it rumours are etsten, and the i 

 for and against their probability are studiously 



1 (r was born in the first year of the 80th Olympiad, 

 or *->S years before Christ, in the reign of Artaxerxe* 

 Longimaous of Persia, and was the contemporary of 

 Socrates, Herodotus, and Thucydides. His father 'l Is- 

 rael idea, and hi* grandfather Hippocrates the elder, 

 who were both eminent physician*, bestowed much 

 pains on hi* education in literature and general science, 

 a* well as in medicine. He studied polite literature 

 and eloquence under i/orgta* of Lconttum, a ceJeorsjted 

 rhetorician. He i. said to have studied the physical 



he was not acquainted with that philosopher tin be was 

 more advanced in life, and already celebrated as a me- 

 utCeU pTBCtitioocr. He enjoyed, front lot orcuoMtstocn 

 of hi* ancestor*, and the spirit of the piece of hi* nativi- 

 ty, great iiK'HssueiUs to medical studies, and great ad- 



invited by that people to favour them with the advan- 

 tages of his medical skill ; but, on inquiring into va- 

 rious circumstances attending that epidemic, he con- 

 rluded that his services would be ineffectual. He de- 

 clined the journey ; and finding reason of apprehension 

 that the same disease would extend to Thessaly and 

 Greece, he sent his sons to these countries, for the pur- 

 pose of preparing them to meet the visitation with pro- 

 per precautions. In a plague at Athens, he is said to 

 nave contributed much to the health of the city, by or- 

 dering large fires to be lighted for purifying the air, 

 and by burning various perfumes in private houses, 

 in the manner of the Egyptians. His sons, also, 



ve material as*istance. These accounts, however, 

 not well correspond with historical dates. The 

 great plague of Athens, described by 1 luuvdides, hap- 

 pened when Hippocrates was only thirty years of age, 

 and could not have sons rphl> of giving medical di- 

 rections. The inhabitants of AlxU-ra, observing that 

 their fellow-citizen Democritus had contracted much 

 singularity of manners, that he had become addicted 

 to immoderate and ill-timed laughter, and secluded 

 himself from society, conceived him to be insane, and 

 invited HippocTate*s to go ami pronounce a judgment 

 on his case, and take him under his medical care. I Ii|>- 

 pocrales went, and finding Democritus a man of tie. -p 

 research, who engaged himself with unwearied assidui- 

 ty in philosophical pursuits, pronounced him the wisest 

 nun in Abdera. Ten talents were offered to him on thu 

 but be declined accepting of any recompense. 



vamage. for the prosecution 



King* and prince* are said to have made different at. 

 tempt* to angMr* him in their service. We are told, 

 that Perdicaa, king of Macedon, invited him to his 

 court to cure hi* son of a consumption ; and that 



d the whole complaint to consist in 



vourable nsuices, he acquired en early relish far 

 nieojcaj proluesioD, and devoted lumaelf to it ever after 

 with ardour and assiduity. BmiJm studying in the 

 school belonging to his native island, be studied the 

 gymnastic medicine under Hcrodicus, by whom it was 



mvrnt.il. and hr tr^,-!!,-,! much in '.r.'-rco. Ili,-.-!y. 



history of endemic diseases. The greater part of hi* 

 hwaeema to have been pent at Larissa, in 

 One Andreas, who wrote on the history of 

 amign* a km honourable motive far hi. pe- 

 Be. He says that be absented himself in or* 

 der to escape from the puniehmfnt due to 

 nie< which be had committed in the library of the me. 

 dical school of Cnidos. where be was said to have tran- 

 scribed MUM of the books, and then burned the origi- 

 nal*. Tin* account, however, entirely originated in the 

 jealousy of the . 



and the precepts of which were controverted 

 t i* inronrietrnr with the f*"niu 

 were conspicuous in all the con- 

 f Hippocrates. Other* mid, that he Bed because 

 he had copied some inscription* in the temple of jfiscu- 

 lapini, detailing the cure* of sick person*, who thu* re- 

 rorded their acknowledgments to that deity. This re- 

 port is equally groundless with toe other, and doe* not 

 correspond with any thing that we know of the tenden- 

 cies of ancient prejudice. He seem* to nave also tra- 

 velled in Africa and Asia ; but the chief scene* of hi* 

 were on the European continent, where be fre- 

 quently vi'ited different cities and countne* for the 

 purpose of relieving epidemic distemper., with which 

 they were occasionally afflictr * dreadful pes- 



tilcDOt prevailed among the Tllyrians, he was earnestly 



Under "these fa- the working* of a secret passion which the young man 

 riahcd for Phyla, the mistrea* of hi* father. This 



tanr. hweei , coincide* so exactly with the accounts 

 of toe cure performed by Erasistratus on Antigonus, 

 the son of Seleueus Kicauor, that we are forced to 

 rmsdnde it to be fabulous ; ami it must be confessed, 

 tout the other anecdotes of his life do not rest on the 

 meet mtiafartofy evidence. They are all derived from 

 the same source, a col lection of letter* and other piece*, 



r'crtd kbl Lire, 



W 



nda*plendide*- 

 hi* sei rite during a 



tive epidemic which JeeeUted some of the pro- 

 and also the armies of Persia. Hippocrates re> 

 fused the ofer in a haughty (tile, rpnmng hi* con- 

 tompt of barbarian*, and the indignity to which he 

 would find himself subjected by leaving the Greeks to 

 devote hi* services to that peapl*. Tnis unnecessary 

 affront, arising from an excess of national pride, highly 

 offended Art orim*, who then demanded of the inha- 

 bitanu of Cos, that Hippocrates should be delivered 

 into hi* hand*, threatening them with the extremity 

 of his vengeance in case of refual. The people of Cos, 

 however, were too honourable, and too much attached 

 to their illustrious countryman, to yield to theae intimi- 

 dating threats ; and Hippocrates remained unmolested. 

 The high character of this physician gave him, 

 on one occasion, an opportunity of performing an 

 important political service for his native country, 

 whub he tenderly loved. The Athenians threatened 

 the island of Co* with a formidable invasion. Hip- 

 pocrates solicited the assistance of the people of The*, 

 saly and the adjoining countries, and at the same 

 time sent Themlui his son to Athens, te avert the 



