“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” -Hippocrates

Hippocrates (460?-377?), known as the father of medicine and one of the greatest physicians of ancient times, founded the clinical approach to medicine. He was one of the first physicians to believe that diseases are a result of environment and not of supernatural origin. He contributed to a collection that has come to be known as the Hippocratic Collection. Though this collection is associated with his name, of the 70 works in the collection, he probably only wrote six of them. The collection is most likely a remnant from the school of medicine at Kos, where Hippocrates taught and practiced his art. Though Hippocrates is in all likelihood not the author of the Hippocratic Oath, there is still disagreement among scholars as to who is the author.

“As to diseases, make a habit of two things – to help and not to harm.”

The statement above, from Epidemics I of the Hippocratic Collection, one of the writings attributed to Hippocrates, is said to be one of the first statements on medical ethics.