Hippocrates: Disease in Ancient civilizations

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Hippocrates and his contributions to medicine

Hippocrates is considered the father of medicine because of his extensive work to disassociate religion from disease. He is also reported as the first scientist to aggressive research the causes of diseases, ranging from diet and being overweight, as well as hereditary issues, among others. Some of his most popular sayings allude to this, always highlighting the importance of scientific research, and the importance of alleviating sickness and pain (Thomas, Cooney, & Fried, 2019). 

Perhaps the most enduring and important of Hippocrates’ contributions is the Hippocratic Oath, which is sworn by doctors as they embark on their medical practice (Askitopolou & Vgontzas, 2018). The oath sets the values by which doctors should operate. Hippocrates also established the link between a healthy diet and health. He also described the effects that the environment and genetic composition could have on a person’s health. Hippocrates left behind an extensive work on disease observations. In it, the author focused on the scientific causes of disease, rather than supernatural powers as was believed at the time (Thomas, Cooney, & Fried, 2019). 

Malaria and its impact on ancient Greek civilization

The plasmodium parasite infects female anopheles mosquitoes, which feed on human blood. Once they bite a person to suck blood, they pass off the parasite to the new host. In humans, the parasite causes malaria, which is fatal in some cases if untreated on time. The parasite incubates in the liver, before entering the bloodstream and infecting the rest of the human body. It is symptomized by a headache, shivering, profuse sweating, a fever, muscle pain and diarrhea, among other symptoms (Trajer, 2020). 

In ancient Greece, the disease had a profound effect on the civilization. At the time, it was not linked to mosquitoes, with Hippocrates blaming it on the weather, and climatic changes. Among other effects, it is thought to have contributed in the general decline of the city-states, since it was lethal in many cases, and no known interventions were available at the time. 

The presence of wetlands and human movement in the Greek civilization greatly aided the spread of malaria in Greece. The disease infected huge numbers in the population, leading to unrest, and the suppression of economic activity due to the high fatalities. The Greeks also had no answer to the disease, complicating their response to the disease (Trajer, 2020). 

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Fall of Rome and epidemic disease

Many deadly epidemics swept through Ancient Rome. The Roman Empire, despite its civilization and military technology, was ill equipped to handle any pandemic, especially if such a disease was aided in its spread by congestion, and poor living conditions. The Roman Empire was highly interconnected, especially the major cities. This meant that a pandemic in one corner of the vast empire would eventually be spread throughout the empire’s main urban centers (Reilly, 2020). 

The Roman Empire was overwhelmingly agrarian. Most people resided in villages in the countryside, and therefore did not suffer the full wrath of the various epidemics. The cities were however, the main centers of commerce, and a threat of them was a threat on the empire itself. The plagues that swept through Rome and Constantinople, among other major Roman cities, severely depopulated the cities, meaning a loss in those most productive and important to the society, including soldiers, merchants, and community leaders (Stathakopoulos, 2017). 

References

Askitopoulou, H., & Vgontzas, A. N. (2018). The relevance of the Hippocratic Oath to the ethical and moral values of contemporary medicine. Part I: The Hippocratic Oath from antiquity to modern times. European Spine Journal, 27(7), 1481-1490.

Reilly, B. (2020). The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire by Kyle Harper. Journal of World History, 31(2), 450-452.

Stathakopoulos, D. C. (2017). Famine and pestilence in the late Roman and early Byzantine empire: a systematic survey of subsistence crises and epidemics. Routledge.

Thomas, J. M., Cooney, L. M., & Fried, T. R. (2019). Prognosis reconsidered in light of ancient insights—from Hippocrates to modern medicine. JAMA internal medicine, 179(6), 820-823.

Trájer, A. J. (2020). The changing risk patterns of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Greece due to climate change. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 1-26.