Hippocrates and Modern Medicine’s Abandonment of the Hippocratic Oath

---

The old medical tradition goes back to 400 B.C. to the young Greek medic Hippocrates who established his practice in Cos. At that time sanatoriums existed which were dedicated to Aesculapius, the god of healing, and medical procedures involved praying to gods and various superstitions. Hippocrates learned his trade from his father and expanded his knowledge by traveling to Egypt to learn their medical practices of the time which included novelties such as having a clinical observation chart/sheet of the patient, using white and clean linen for babies and patients, watching closely the nutrition of newborns and toddlers, exercise and play in fresh air. Upon his return from Egypt, Hippocrates realized that Greek medicine had to be revised from the priestly medicine to a new medicine based on rigorous experience and proper rationalization. This new medicine would become the Hippocratic medicine.