In sharp contrast to the charlatans of Hippocrates' time, who claimed to heal diseases by superstitious practices and rituals, the Hippocratic doctor΄s unwavering requirement was the search for the causes of illness. «One must approach the cause, and of the cause, the source». This perception meant that the doctor had first to locate the cause of the disease, then to deal with it in such a way that healing ensued. For, says the Hippocratic author, «most [diseases] are cured by the same things as caused them». The Hippocratic doctor΄s confidence that a disease and its treatment will invariably have a cause is founded on the scientific nature of this school of medicine.
Academy of Athens
