GREEK BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 



of Hippocrates did not yet deem itself a 

 science; but it travelled in the light. 



In concluding, mention must be made of the 

 Hippocratic book of Aphorisms, — for no 

 hand-book of medicine has ever been so 

 thumbed through many centuries, or trans- 

 lated into so many languages. Its statements 

 are pithy resumes for the guidance of the 

 practitioner, who could not fail to be the wiser 

 for conning them. Frequently they show 

 astonishing insight and extraordinary knowl- 

 edge. The first and most famous of them all 

 comes as a solemn admonition, — it certainly 

 has echoed down the ages: '0 /3ios fipaxfc, V 

 8i rkxvr\ nawfj, 6 5£ /catpos 6£i>s, 17 5i iretpa 

 a<j>a\epii, 17 Se Kplais x^^n?:' 

 " Life is short and the [healing] art is long; 

 the opportunity [to administer remedies] fleet- 

 ing, experiment is dangerous, the decision diffi- 

 cult," and it continues: "One must not only 

 do the the right thing oneself, but make the 

 patient and all about him concur." What is 

 said elsewhere might be added: " You must not 

 only do the proper thing, but do it at the right 

 time." 



Such admonitions the young practitioner 

 might take to heart, — and tremble! 



[32] 



