Retief, FrancoisCilliers, louise2017-08-252017-08-252007Retief, F., & Cilliers, L. (2007). Pre-Hippocratic Greek medicine and its influence on the Hippocratic Corpus. Acta Academica, 39(1), 79-92.0587-2405 (print)2415-0479 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/6670English: 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.Afrikaans: Die oorsprong van die Hippokratiese Korpus, wat tradisioneel beskou word as die geboorte van empiriese geneeskunde, word in die werke van die sogenaamde Presokratiese filosoof-geneeshere nagegaan. Alhoewel baie van die voorafgaande feitelik foutiewe hipoteses oor menslike fisiologie en patologie behoue is en daar gevolglik oneffektiewe terapieë voorgeskryf is, het die Korpus wel ‘n besliste ontwikkeling getoon: kliniese siektepatrone is objektief beskryf, medikamente was op rasionele argumente gegrond (soos destyds verstaan) sonder die invloed van religie of bygeloof, en dit was gebaseer op ‘n etiese kode wat die storms van die tyd oorleef het.enHippocratic medicineEmpirical medicineHippocratic CorpusArticleUniversity of the Free State