Physician · 460 BC – 370 BC
Hippocrates
Little-Known Facts
- The famous phrase 'first, do no harm' reflects Hippocratic ethics, though it does not appear verbatim in the original oath.
- Hippocrates proposed that the body's 'four humors' governed health, an idea that dominated medicine for millennia.
Myths & Misconceptions
Did Hippocrates write the Hippocratic Oath we use today?
The modern oath is heavily revised; the original is ancient and associated with his school, but today's versions have been substantially rewritten.