Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1

HIPPOCRATES (ca. 460 B.C.-ca. 368 B.C.) Aphorismi, cum Galeni commentariis, Nicolao Leoniceno interprete. Praedictiones, cum Galeni commentariis, Laurentio Laurentiano interprete. n. publ.] 1527 [19] 283 ll. 14.6 cm.

Very little is known about Hippocrates, the man; he was born in Greece and died there at a very old age; he traveled widely in the eastern Mediterranean; he was a physician who practiced and taught medicine. A highly respected teacher, his influence was immediate and long lasting. Much, probably most, of what has been ascribed to Hippocrates in what is called the Hippocratic Collection of writings is by other members of his school or by later writers. But none of the writings is inconsistent with his empirical method or with his high ethical standards. The most celebrated physician of his time and, indeed, of all time, he is appropriately called "the father of medicine." The Hippocratic Oath has been taken in spirit if not in precise form by medical students for more than two thousand years. The Aphorisms, the best known work of the Hippocratic Collection, are probably genuinely Hippocratic, at least in part. They are here presented with the commentaries of Galen, both of which are in Latin translation. The well-known aphorism "Vita brevis, ars vero longa" (Life is short, but art is long) opens the book. The second work which, too, is probably a genuinely Hippocratic work, Praedictiones (or, in Greek, Prognostika), with Galen's commentaries, is also present here in Latin translation. This edition, one of dozens appearing during the early years of printing, seems to be little known. It was probably printed in Paris by the editor, Simon Sylvius, though neither the place nor the publisher is indicated.

Cited references: Durling 2382; Wellcome 3191

Gift of John Martin, M.D.