st　to　grasp　the　conception　of　medicine　as　an　art　based　on　accurate　observation；　and　an　integral　part　of　the　science　of　man。　　What　could　be　more　striking　than　the　phrase　in　〃The　Law；〃　〃There　are；　in　effect；　two　things；　to　know　and　to　believe　one　knows；　to　know　is　science；　to　believe　one　knows　is　ignorance〃？＇23＇　But　no　single　phrase　in　the　writings　can　compare　for　directness　with　the　famous　aphorism　which　has　gone　into　the　literature　of　all　lands：　〃Life　is　short　and　Art　is　long；　the　Occasion　fleeting；　Experience　fallacious；　and　Judgment　difficult。〃
  ＇23＇　Littre：　　OEuvres　d'Hippocrate；　Vol。　IV；　pp。　641…642。
  Everywhere　one　finds　a　strong；　clear　common　sense；　which　refuses　to　be　entangled　either　in　theological　or　philosophical　speculations。　What　Socrates　did　for　philosophy　Hippocrates　may　be　said　to　have　done　for　medicine。　　As　Socrates　devoted　himself　to　ethics；　and　the　application　of　right　thinking　to　good　conduct；　so　Hippocrates　insisted　upon　the　practical　nature　of　the　art；　and　in　placing　its　highest　good　in　the　benefit　of　the　patient。　Empiricism；　experience；　the　collection　of　facts；　the　evidence　of　the　senses；　the　avoidance　of　philosophical　speculations；　were　the　distinguishing　features　of　Hippocratic　medicine。　One　of　the　most　striking　contributions　of　Hippocrates　is　the　recognition　that　diseases　are　only　part　of　the　processes　of　nature；　that　there　is　nothing　divine　or　sacred　about　them。　With　reference　to　epilepsy；which　was　regarded　as　a　sacred　disease；　he　says；　〃It　appears　to　me　to　be　no　wise　more　divine　nor　more　sacred　than　other　diseases；　but　has　a　natural　cause　from　which　it　originates　like　other　affections；　men　regard　its　nature　and　cause　as　divine　from　ignorance。〃　　And　in　another　place　he　remarks　that　each　disease　has　its　own　nature；　and　that　no　one　arises　without　a　natural　cause。　He　seems　to　have　been　the　first　to　grasp　the　conception　of　the　great　healing　powers　of　nature。　　In　his　long　experience　with　the　cures　in　the　temples；　he　must　have　seen　scores　of　instances　in　which　the　god　had　worked　the　miracle　through　the　vis　medicatrix　naturae；　and　to　the　shrewd　wisdom　of　his　practical　suggestions　in　treatment　may　be　attributed　in　large　part　the　extraordinary　vogue　which　the　great　Coan　has　enjoyed　for　twenty…five　centuries。　One　may　appreciate　the　veneration　with　which　the　Father　of　Medicine　was　regarded　by　the　attribute　〃divine〃　which　was　usually　attached　to　his　name。　Listen　to　this　for　directness　and　honesty　of　speech　taken　from　the　work　on　the　joints　characterized　by　Littre　as　〃the　great　surgical　monument　of　antiquity〃：　〃I　have　written　this　down　deliberately；　believing　it　is　valuable　to　learn　of　unsuccessful　experiments；　and　to　know　the　causes　of　their　non…success。〃
  The　note　of　freedom　is　not　less　remarkable　throughout　the　Hippocratic　writings；　and　it　is　not　easy　to　understand　how　a　man　brought　up　and　practicing　within　the　precincts　of　a　famous　AEsculapian　temple　could　have　divorced　himself　so　wholly　from　the　superstitions　and　vagaries　of　the　cult。　　There　are　probably　grounds　for　Pliny's　suggestion　that　he　benefited　by　the　receipts　written　in　the　temple；　registered　by　the　sick　cured　of　any　disease。　〃Afterwards；〃　Pliny　goes　on　to　remark　in　his　characteristic　way；　〃hee　professed　that　course　of　Physicke　which　is　called　Clinice　Wherby　physicians　found　such　sweetnesse　that　afterwards　there　was　no　measure　nor　end　of　fees〃　（〃Natural　History；〃　XXIX；　1）。　There　is　no　reference　in　the　Hippocratic　writings　to　divination；　incubation　sleep　is　not　often　mentioned；　and　charms；　incantations　or　the　practice　of　astrology　but　rarely。　Here　and　there　we　do　find　practices　which　jar　upon　modern　feeling；　but　on　the　whole　we　feel　in　reading　the　Hippocratic　writings　nearer　to　their　spirit　than　to　that　of　the　Arabians　or　of　the　many　writers　of　the　fifteenth　and　sixteenth　centuries　A。　D。　And　it　is　not　only　against　the　thaumaturgic　powers　that　the　Hippocratic　writings　protested；　but　they　express　an　equally　active　reaction　against　the　excesses　and　defects　of　the　new　philosophy；　a　point　brought　out　very　clearly　by　Gomperz。＇24＇　He　regards　it　as　an　undying　glory　of　the　school　of　Cos　that　after　years　of　vague；　restless　speculation　it　introduces　steady　sedentary　habits　into　the　intellectual　life　of　mankind。　〃　'Fiction　to　the　right！　　Reality　to　the　left！'　was　the　battle…cry　of　this　school　in　the　war　they　were　the　first　to　wage　against　the　excesses　and　defects　of　the　nature…philosophy。　〃Though　the　protest　was　effective　in　certain　directions；　we　shall　see　that　the　authors　of　the　Hippocratic　writings　could　not　entirely　escape　from　the　hypotheses　of　the　older　philosophers。
  ＇24＇　Gomperz：　　Greek　Thinkers；　Vol。　I；　p。　296。
  I　can　do　no　more　than　indicate　in　the　briefest　possible　way　some　of　the　more　important　views　ascribed　to　Hippocrates。　　We　cannot　touch　upon　the　disputes　between　the　Coan　and　Cnidian　schools。＇25＇　You　must　bear　in　mind　that　the　Greeks　at　this　time　had　no　human　anatomy。　Dissections　were　impossible；　their　physiology　was　of　the　crudest　character；　strongly　dominated　by　the　philosophies。　Empedocles　regarded　the　four　elements；　fire；　air；　earth　and　water；　as　〃the　roots　of　all　things；〃　and　this　became　the　corner　stone　in　the　humoral　pathology　of　Hippocrates。　　As　in　the　Macrocosm　the　world　at　large　there　were　four　elements；　fire；　air；　earth；　and　water；　so　in　the　Microcosmthe　world　of　man's　bodythere　were　four　humors　（elements）；　viz。；blood；　phlegm；　yellow　bile　（or　choler）　and　black　bile　（or　melancholy）；and　they　corresponded　to　the　four　qualities　of　matter；　heat；　cold；　dryness　and　moisture。　　For　more　than　two　thousand　years　these　views　prevailed。　　In　his　〃Regiment　of　Life〃　（1546）　Thomas　Phaer　says：〃。　。　。　which　humours　are　called　ye　sones　of　the　Elements　because　they　be　complexioned　like　the　foure　Elements；　for　like　as　the　Ayre　is　hot　and　moyst：　　so　is　the　blooud；　hote　and　moyste。　And　as　Fyer　is　hote　and　dry：　　so　is　Cholere　hote　and　dry。　And　as　water　is　colde　and　moyst：so　is　fleume　colde　and　moyste。　And　as　the　Earth　is　colde　and　dry：　so　Melancholy　is　colde　and　dry。〃＇26＇
  ＇25＇　The　student　who　wishes　a　fuller　account　is　referred　to　the　histories　of　（a）　Neuburger；　Vol。　1；　Oxford；　1910；　（b）　Withington；　London；　1894。
  ＇26＇　Thomas　Phaer：　　Regiment　of　Life；　London；　1546。
  As　the　famous　Regimen　Sanitatis　of　Salernum；　the　popular　family　hand…book　of　the　Middle　Ages；　says：
  Foure　Humours　raigne　within　our　bodies　wholly；　And　these　compared　to　foure　elements。＇27＇
  ＇27＇　The　Englishman's　Doctor；　or　the　Schoole　of　Salerne；　Sir　John　Harington's　translation；　London；　1608；　p。　2。　　Edited　by　Francis　R。　Packard；　New　York；　1920；　p。　132。　Harington's　book　originally　appeared　dated：　　London　1607。　（Hoe　copy　in　the　Henry　E。　Huntington　Library。）
  According　to　Littre；　there　is　nowhere　so　strong　a　statement　of　these　views　in　the　genuine　works　of　Hippocrates；　but　they　are　found　at　large　in　the　Hippocratic　writings；　and　nothing　can　be　clearer　than　the　following　statement　from　the　work　〃The　Nature　of　Man〃：　〃The　body　of　man　contains　in　itself　blood　and　phlegm　and　yellow　bile　and　black　bile；　which　things　are　in　the　natural　constitution　of　his　body；　and　the　cause　of　sickness　and　of　health。　　He　is　healthy　when　they　are　in　proper　proportion　between　one　another　as　regards　mixture　and　force　and　quantity；　and　when　they　are　well　mingled　together；　he　becomes　sick　when　one　of　these　is　diminished　or　increased　in　amount；　or　is　separated　in　the　body　from　its　proper　mixture；　and　not　properly　mingled　with　all　the　others。〃　　No　words　could　more　clearly　express　the　views　of　disease　which；　as　I　mentioned；　prevailed　until　quite　recent　years。　The　black　bile；　melancholy；　has　given　us　a　great　word　in　the　language；　and　that　we　have　not　yet　escaped　from　the　humoral　pathology　of　Hippocrates　is　witnessed　by　the　common　expression　of　biliousness〃too　much　bile〃　or　〃he　has　a　touch　of　the　liver。〃　The　humors；　imperfectly　mingled；　prove　irritant　in　the　body。　They　are　kept　in　due　proportion　by　the　innate　heat　which；　by　a　sort　of　internal　coction　gradually　changes　the　humors　to　their　proper　proportion。　Whatever　may　be　the　primary　cause　of　the　change　in　the　humors　manifesting　itself　in　disease；　the　innate　heat；　or　as　Hippocrates　terms　it；　the　nature　of　the　body　itself；　tends　to　restore　conditions　to　the　norm；　and　this　change　occurring　suddenly；　or　abruptly；　he　calls　the　〃crisis；〃　which　is　accomplished　on　some　special　day　of　the　disease；　and　is　often　accompanied　by　a　critical　discharge；　or　by　a　drop　in　the　body　temperature。　The　evil；　or　superabundant；　humors　were　discharged　and　this　view　of　a　special　materies　morbi；　to　be　got　rid　of　by　a　natural　processor　a　crisis；　dominated　pathology　until　quite　recently。　　Hippocrates　had　a　great　belief　in　the　power　of　nature；　the　vis　medicatrix　naturae；　to　restore　the　normal　state。　A　keen　observer　and　an　active　practitioner；　his　views　of　disease；　thus　hastily　sketched；　dominated　the　profession　for　twenty…five　centuries；　indeed；　echoes　of　his　theories　are　still　heard　in　the　schools；　and　his　very　words　are　daily　on　our　lips。　　If　asked　what　was　the　great　contribution　to　medicine　of　Hippocrates　and　his　school　we　could　answerthe　art　of　careful　observation。
  In　the　Hippocratic　writings　is　summed　up　the　experience　of　Greece　to　the　Golden　Age　of　Pericles。　　Out　of　philosophy；　out　of　a