(University of the Free State, 2007) Retief, Francois; Cilliers, louise
English: The origins of the Hippocratic Corpus, traditionally held to herald the birth of empirical
medicine, are traced in the works of the “pre-Socratic” philosopher-physicians.
Although it retained many of the earlier, factually incorrect hypotheses on human
physiology and pathology, and consequently proposed largely ineffectual therapies,
the Corpus was a decisive milestone in that it described clinical disease patterns objectively,
it prescribed medication on the basis of rational argument (as understood
at the time) unadulterated by considerations of religion or superstition, and it was
underpinned by an ethical code which has largely withstood the test of time.