‘Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity’ One of the most well-known physicians of ancient Greece and possibly of all time.

 Hippocrates was born on the Aegean island of Kos during the fifth century, during which a plethora of great personalities lived in Athens and contributed significantly in many fields of modern science and art. Being inspired by the innovative spirit of his age, Hippocrates was able to study medicine without religious prejudice but rather as a science that prevents, predicts, diagnoses, and treats diseases that are caused by environmental or hereditary factors. He was also successful in developing the basic aspects of many medical specialties, such as neurology, acute and respiratory medicine, and surgery and urology. Hippocrates was greatly influenced by the theory of the fifth-century philosopher Empedocles that nature was made of the four elements that are water, earth, fire, and wind, and thus the human body also consisted of four fluids or “humors” - black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood - as well as four elemental conditions (hot, cold, dry, and moist). Health was associated, according to the great physician, with a balance of all these elements. Furthermore, Hippocrates managed to combine his principles on physical examination and his ideals on the ethical rules of practicing medicine by establishing the Hippocratic Oath. This is a one-page oath given by doctors when they finish medical school and is used by many healthcare systems as guidance on professional behavior towards their patients. It has been revised several times, with the most important update introduced in 1948 by the World Health Organization.