A twelfth-century Byzantine manuscript of the Oath in the form of a cross

Content

The Hippocratic Corpus contains textbooks, lectures, research, notes and philosophical essays on various subjects in medicine, in no particular order.^[1][5] These works were written for different audiences, both specialists and laymen, and were sometimes written from opposing view points; significant contradictions can be found between works in the Corpus.^[6]

One significant portion of the corpus is made up of case-histories, of which there are forty-two. Of these, 60% (25) ended in the patient's death. ^[7] Nearly all of the diseases described in the Corpus are endemic diseases: colds, consumption, pneumonia, etc.^[8]

Style

The writing style of the Corpus has been remarked upon for centuries, being described by some as, "clear, precise, and simple"^[9]. It is often praised for its objectivity and concisesness, yet some have criticised it as being "grave and austere".^[10] Francis Adams, a translator of the Corpus, goes further and calls it sometimes ?obscure?. Of course, not all of the Corpus is of this ?laconic? style, though most of it is. It was Hippocratic practice to write in this style.^[11]

The whole corpus is written in Ionic Greek, though the island of Kos was in a region that spoke Doric Greek. This use of Ionic instead of the native Doric dialect is analogous to the practice of Renaissance scientists, using Latin instead of the vernacular for their treatises. ^[12]

Printed editions

The entire Hippocratic Corpus was first printed as a unit in 1525. This edition was in Latin and was edited by Marcus Fabius Calvus in Rome. The first complete Greek edition followed the next year in Venice. An English translation was first published about 300 years later.^[5]

A significant edition was that of Émile Littré who spent twenty-two years (1839-1861) working diligently on the Hippocratic Corpus. This was scholarly, yet sometimes inaccurate and awkward.^[13] Another edition of note was that of Franz Z. Ermerins, published in Utrecht between 1859 and 1864.^[13] Beginning in 1967, an important modern edition by Jacques Jouanna and others began to appear (with Greek text, French translation, and commentary) in the Collection Budé. Other important bilingual annotated editions (with translation in German or French) continue to appear in the Corpus medicorum graecorum published by the Akademie-Verlag in Berlin.

The Oath

The most famous work in the Hippocratic corpus is the Hippocratic Oath, a landmark declaration of doctoral ethics. The Hippocratic Oath is both philosophical and practical; it not only deals with abstract principles but practical matters such as removing stones and aiding one's teacher financially. It is a complex and probably not the work of one man. ^{[14] [15]}

Though it is of unknown origin, like many other works from the time period, it is included in the Corpus and named after Hippocrates for historic tradition. Indeed, this short work has become a very important work in the history of medicine. Traditionally, it has been taken at the beginning of a doctor's career, perhaps to medical school graduates. Because of its antiquity, however, the Oath is rarely taken in its original form today. But, it does serve as a foundation for other, similar oaths and laws that define good medical practice and morals; derivatives of which are still taken.^[15]

List of Works of the Corpus

1. The Prognostics
2. On Airs, Waters, and Places
3. On Regimen in Acute Diseases.
4. The Aphorisms
5. The Epidemics
6. On the Articulations
7. On Fractures
8. On the Instruments of Reduction
9. The Hippocratic Oath
10. On Ancient Medicine
11. On Fractures
12. The Instruments of Reduction
13. The Physician's Establishment or Surgery
14. On Injuries of the Head
15. The Law
16. On the Nature of Man
17. Regimen of Presons in Health
18. The Coan Praenotions
19. Prorrhetics

20. Of Ulcers

21. Of Fistulae

22. Of Hemorrhoids

23. Of the Pneuma

24. Of the Sacred Disease

25. Of the Places in Man

26. Of Art

27. Of Regimen, and of Dreams

28. Of Affections

29. Of Internal Affections

30. Of Diseases

31. Of the Seventh Month Foetus

32. Of the Eighth Month Foetus

33. On the Surgery

34. On Generation

35. On the Nature of the Infant

36. On the Diseases of Women

37. On the Diseases of Young Women

38. On Unfruitful Women

39. On Superfoetation
    40. On the Heart

    41. On Ailment

    42. On Fleshes

    43. On the Weeks

    44. On the Glands

    45. On the Nature of Bones

    46. On the Physician

    47. On Honorable Conduct

    48. Precepts

    49. On Anatomy

    50. On the Sight

    51. On Dentition

    52. On the Nature of the Woman

    53. On the Excision of the Foetus

    54. On Crisis

    55. On Critical Days

    56. On Purgative Medicines

    57. On dangerous Wounds (lost)

    58. On Missiles and Wounds(lost)

See also

• Hippocrates
• Hippocratic Oath

References

Bibliography

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External links

• Works of the Hippocratic Corpus online, translated by Francis Adams
• Collection Medic@ offers Littré's edition of Hippocrates (Greek text and French translation), complete in scanned page images (vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7, vol. 8, vol. 9, vol. 10)

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