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14|CHAPTERI.HistoricalContexts
dependednotonlyontheabundanceandqualityofthehumours,butalso
ontheshapeofthebodypartscontainingthesebodilyfluids.Inadequate
amountoracorruptionofaparticularhumourwouldcausedisharmony,
whichhadtoberectifiedbyvariousremedies.Thesedisturbancescould
becausedbyinternalfactors,rootedinhumannature,suchastheamount
ofheatandmoistureinthebody,aswellasbyexternalfactors.Thelatter
included:climate,weather,season,andstarconstellation9.Hence,illnesses
resultedfromthelawsofnature,whoseobservationuncoveredthegenesisof
anillnessandledtohealing.Inordertorecover,apatienthadtofollowdoctor’s
instructionsregardinglifestyle,diet,bathing,restorphysicalactivity.The
treatiseDepriscamedicina,whichisapartoftheCorpusHippocraticum,states
thattheeffectsoftreatmentshouldbecombinedwithknowledgeofhuman
nature,awayoflifeandanappropriatediet.IntheHippocraticschool,food
wasassumedtobebothnourishmentandmedicine10.
ThepeakofHippocrates’activitycoincidedwiththespreadof
amysteriousinfectiousdiseaseinmanyGreekcities.Itcausedthegreatest
devastationinAthensbetween429and427BC,andforthisreasonitwas
calledthePlagueofAthens.TheaccountsofThucydides(471-404BC)
tellusthatitwasanextremelycontagiousdisease,usuallyresultingin
death.Havingobservednumerousincidencesofthedisease,Hippocrates
introducedaclassificationofdiseasesintoacute,chronic,endemicand
epidemicinhisworkEpidemics.Whiledescribingdiseases,heusedsuch
termsas:relapses,crises,exacerbations,convulsionsorpeakofdisease11.
Byintroducingtheconceptofhumoralpathology,Hippocrateslaidthe
scientificfoundationsofmedicine.Hismodelofhumanphysiologyexcluded
magicandsuperstition.Basedonthisinterpretationofhealthanddisease,
twocurrentsemergedintheAlexandrianschoolinthe4thand3rdcenturies
BC:therationalandtheempirical.Basedonphilosophy,medicinebecame
ononehandascienceofamanandtheworld,andontheother,inpractical
9J.Krajewska,A.Głusiuk,Epidemie,pp.88-89;A.Bednarczyk,Medycyna,
pp.106-108;M.Wilejczyk,Filozofiaprzyrody,pp.135-136.
10M.Schiefsky,Hippocrates:OnAncientmedicine,LeidenBrill2005,p.25,
J.Krajewska,Nietylko„Osztucelekarskiej”wwybranychpismachCorpus
Hippocraticum,“SaeculumChristianum”2018,Vol.25,p.59.
11J.Krajewska,A.Głusiuk,Epidemie,pp.18-20,90.
