If you work in the medical field or even in Gloucester Support Worker Jobs, like those from Take Five Healthcare, you will probably have heard of the Hippocratic Oath. But do you know anything about the man it is named after?
Hippocrates was born on the island of Cos in Greece back in 460 BCE. He was a Greek physician, and he is now thought of as the father of medicine. He is one of the first people reported to have studied the human body and treated people with a variety of ailments.
When looking at the works of Hippocrates, it is difficult to ascertain what was written by the man himself and what was reported and then written by others. There are thought to be over 60 different medical writings that all have Hippocrates’ name on them, but it is now thought that a large majority of these were not written by him directly. He did note that a lot of ailments and conditions were as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices.
Hippocrates was and is known best for his impeccable ethical standards, and it is these standards that are reflected in the Hippocratic Oath. It is unclear whether Hippocrates contributed to these standards directly himself or whether they were built around the principles that he was well-known for. The ethical standards are still used in medicine today, with doctors undertaking the Hippocratic Oath upon their graduation.