On the Sacred Disease

by Hippocrates, Francis Adams (Translation), D.P. Curtin (Editor)

On the Sacred Disease is a work of the Hippocratic Corpus, written in 400 B.C. The authorship of this piece can not be confirmed, so is regarded as dubious. The treatise is thought to contain one of the first recorded observations of epilepsy in humans

Genres: Nonfiction

36 pages, Paperback

Published July 5, 2019

About the author

Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC) was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles, and was considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is referred to as the "father of medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field as the founder of the Hippocratic School of medicine. This intellectual school revolutionized medicine in ancient Greece, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields that it had traditionally been associated with (notably theurgy and philosophy), thus making medicine a profession.

However, the achievements of the writers of the Corpus, the practitioners of Hippocratic medicine, and the actions of Hippocrates himself are often commingled; thus very little is known about what Hippocrates actually thought, wrote, and did. Nevertheless, Hippocrates is commonly portrayed as the paragon of the ancient physician. In particular, he is credited with greatly advancing the systematic study of clinical medicine, summing up the medical knowledge of previous schools, and prescribing practices for physicians through the Hippocratic Oath and other works.

Reviews

[silas · Rating 4 out of 5]

(i am not a medical professional)

this was... something i've read! seeing as i have epilepsy myself i was intrigued to read (a translation of) an ancient description of epilepsy, and i can't say i was disappointed. man really wrote "there is nothing sacred or divine about any of this, you guys just think it's peculiar and don't have a good explanation so you blame the gods", and then continued to give the wildest and most unpredictable medical explanation i've ever read. amazing

[Arianna Pellisari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean he was totally wrong but he sure said it with a lot of confidence. I don’t really know how to review classics like this because it is a centuries old exploration of a disease, which critiques contemporary treatments and religion, created by who is widely considered the founder of all western medicine. But also it was boring and the narrator spoke in a complete monotone.

[C. M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hippocrates discusses the "sacred disease" (what we would call today epilepsy) and rejects a supernatural cause of it, instead applying his theory of four humors as its explanation. Notably, Hippocrates is not some low IQ purely-empirical naturalist, but actually gives a theological argument against the gods being the disease's cause, writing: "Neither truly do I count it a worthy opinion to hold that the body of man is polluted by god, the most impure by the most holy; for were it defiled, or did it suffer from any other thing, it would be like to be purified and sanctified rather than polluted by god. For it is the divinity which purifies and sanctifies the greatest of offenses and the most wicked, and which proves our protection from them. And we mark out the boundaries of the temples and the groves of the gods, so that no one may pass them unless he be pure, and when we enter them we are sprinkled with holy water, not as being polluted, but as laying aside any other pollution which we formerly had. And thus it appears to me to hold, with regard to purifications. But this disease seems to me to be no more divine than others; but it has its nature such as other diseases have, and a cause whence it originates, and its nature and cause are divine only just as much as all others are, and it is curable no less than the others..." For Hippocrates, the cause of epilepsy is an excess of phlegm building up primarily in the brain and then spreading throughout the rest of the body (causing the bodily symptoms of an epileptic episode) through the veins, and this excess of the humor is caused in turn by environmental or emotional factors. Hippocrates is also notable in this treatise for being one of the earliest writers to defend the brain being the seat of understanding and perception rather than the heart. He points out that people thought the heart responsible since it reacts to emotion and perception (increasing its rate, throbbing, etc.), yet it does so indiscriminately for both good and bad, so it is exceptionally sensitive but unrelated to the operations of understanding.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10, 2.5 stars (rounded up because good primary source)

I originally decided to read this after finding out that it was the first recording of epilepsy. What I found was not a book about epilepsy (although it was mentioned) but one about "the humors" and balancing one's body. On The Sacred Disease acts as a guide to understanding how ancient people of medicine viewed the human body, with descriptions of the different bodily systems and functions. While just about everything written goes against modern understanding, it's extremely useful if one is interested in medical history and understanding ancient views on medical practices.

As for it's discussion on epilepsy, it only truly mentions it three times; once claiming it's not of divine origins, secondly that it varies from person to person, and three, that one's age may affect it's severity. Otherwise the book briefly calls those who claim divinity because of it charlatans then moves on to discussing the human body overall.

Would recommend if you have a very specific special interest or curiosity, otherwise unneeded to read.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very quick and easy read. Hippocrates does a great job starting the discussion of how diseases would not be coming from the Gods but from the natural environment. His bases on this was that no Devine entity would be able to give such an unhealthy effect to man.

The section that I enjoyed the most was his discussion on how the weather and winds are the main forces that provide terminal diseases to mankind. His early recommendations that if a disease is brought by cold weather, the solution will be to provide the counter of cold weather to be a cure. It was these early beliefs that started to break away from praying to the Gods and developing man made solutions.

Obviously the understanding of how viruses work through the body was completely inaccurate. It was interesting to see how Socratic and Aristotle philosophical methods started to shape the early medical profession through Hippocrates.

[Tallulah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My brain must be particularly moist right now because I am going mad. Final paper season has had me read 500+ pages of Hippocratic writing in one day!!!!!!!