Diagnosis of diseases

Nowadays, it is totally normal to visit a doctor in case of pain, dizziness, injuries, colds, fractures and any other kind of health issues. Of course, we expect a professional medical explanation of our diseases and illnesses, as well as a recommendation for a cure from the clinicians.
But this kind of support based on anatomic and scientific knowledge has not always been a matter of course.

Thousand of years ago, people believed that all diseases were punishments that god or other goddesses brought about them for misbehavior, sins and disobedience.
Sickness was seen as deserved and humans were convinced not to be able and allowed to take any action against it.

In the 4th century BC, a man – and now it’s your turn to find out if he was Greek or not – is known to be the first one who believed in natural reasons and environmental influence on everybody’s health.  Therefore, he founded the school where students were taught in diagnosis. Habits, surrounding persons, Living places, Nutrition and reactions due to natural phenomena got observed and evaluated. Nevertheless, many viewpoints of those times are proved as wrong in our present times. This can be explained through the prohibition of the dissection of humane bodies. Therefore, any anatomic knowledge did not exist.

People rather hold the position that the body owns a natural power that enables it to heal and balance the illness on itself. The doctor’s task was to make this alleged curing procedure easier through a diagnosis which was supposed to help to find the causes of the disease.

With the awareness of the reason, medicals initiate little, gentle steps for a treatment against the symptoms. The passivity of those attempts to heal had often no success. Nonetheless, the separation of religion and medicine is still very essential and was a big progress in modern thinking. 

Now it’s time for you to figure out if the man we introduced you as “father of diagnosis” was a former Hellenist or not.  And as soon as you consider - speak if it’s Greek!