THE LAW OF HIPPOCRATES 



MEDICINE is of all the arts the most noble; but, 

 owing to the ignorance of those who practice it, and 

 of those who, inconsiderately, form a judgment of 

 them, it is at present far behind all the other arts. Their 

 mistake appears to me to arise principally from this, that 

 in the cities there is no punishment connected with the 

 practice of medicine (and with it alone) except disgrace, 

 and that does not hurt those who are familiar with it. Such 

 persons are like the figures which are introduced in trage- 

 dies, for as they have the shape, and dress, and personal 

 appearance of an actor, but are not actors, so also phy- 

 sicians are many in title but very few in reality. 



2. Whoever is to acquire a competent knowledge of medi- 

 cine, ought to be possessed of the following advantages: a 

 natural disposition ; instruction ; a favorable position for the 

 study; early tuition; love of labour; leisure. First of all, a 

 natural talent is required; for, when Nature leads the way 

 to what is most excellent, instruction in the art takes place, 

 which the student must try to appropriate to himself by re- 

 flection, becoming an early pupil in a place well adapted for 

 instruction. He must also bring to the task a love of labour 

 and perseverance, so that the instruction taking root may 

 bring forth proper and abundant fruits. 



3. Instruction in medicine is like the culture of the pro- 

 ductions of the earth. For our natural disposition, is, as it 

 were, the soil ; the tenets of our teacher are, as it were, the 

 seed; instruction in youth is like the planting of the seed 

 in the ground at the proper season; the place where the 

 instruction is communicated is like the food imparted to 

 vegetables by the atmosphere ; diligent study is like the culti- 

 vation of the fields; and it is time which imparts strength 

 to all things and brings them to maturity. 



4. Having brought all these requisites to the study of 

 medicine, and having acquired a true knowledge of it, we 



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