Maxlanus Introduction to Hippocrates
by
Eric Baldridge
Hippocrates as painted by an Unknown Byzantine artist, 1342
Website: Antiqua Medicina: From Homer to Vesalius
Weblink: http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/library/historical/artifacts/antiqua/
Setting:
This is a beatifutl day
on Cos. Hippocrates is sitting down with a new student that will
learn some of his basic principles of being a physician and to learn
some procedures of surgery. The scene is of Hippocrates and
Maxlanus face to face discussing an upcoming procedure. Maxlanus
is a very young student, approximately 18 years old having had a
classical education he was recommended to study with Hippocrates.
Maxlanus is very nervous, unsure of what he might be exposed to, but at
the same time he is excited to learn his new craft and wants to help
heal the sick and injured. He is aware that Hippocrates is not of
the old school, and is intrigued about new thoughts from his teacher.
Maxlanus: What will I be expected to do tomorrow when we visit this person?
Hippocrates: You will assist me in a small procedure, this is just to get you familiar with your surroundings and to ease your tension.
Maxlanus: Should I interact with the patient?
Hippocrates: No, I will talk with the patient. You will need to learn to make the patient feel at ease. Being a student can sometimes make the patient unsure of your abilities, especially if it is the students first time.
Maxlanus: Okay, but I have not studied. What do I need to know?
Hippocrates: We will just cover a few basic concepts. While in surgery we must remember to use our senses. They can tell us a great deal if we only choose to be aware of our surroundings, mainly the patient. Pay attention to what is heard, felt, smelled, and seen. Position of our bodies is very important to perform a proper surgery. We must position ourselves between the patient to promote efficient lighting and to create the best angle for the position of your hands. This reminds me to tell you about how important your hands are during surgery. Hands are your most important tool, the nails of the fingers are to be trim, hands should be of proper alignment to promote dexterity. You should practice using your hands and fingers, this will help your hands to move quickly.
Maxlanus: What do I do with my hands for practice?
Hippocrates: Make something up.
Hippocrates: Next, make sure your scalpels and such are within reach and ready for use. It is a horrible thing to have a man open and not able to find the proper tool. What do you say to the family in a situation like that? He was a metric and all I had was Babylonian. Anyway, be sure that your assistants are attentive and know the names of the tools if you call for them. Lets talk about some examples of injury that would require some type of surgery. For instance, lets speak of a soldier who was struck in the head by a type of weapon.
Maxlanus: Yea, I have seen this movie Troy and in the first scene..
Hippocrates: WHAT?
Maxlanus: Uh, nothing.
Hippocrates: We must look at at the injury, gather all the information we can by observation. How deep does the wound look? Was the blow to a portion of the head that was weak or strong? Does it appear that the bone was fractured? After visual assumptions are made gather your thoughts on how to proceed. What do you need do for this injury? If there is bone inside the head, should it be removed? This type of observation and response to your observations will improve with experience. Now lets talk about what you would do after you finish a procedure.
Maxlanus: You mean the wine.
Hippocrates: No, what to do with the patient after you have performed a procedure. The wine is after we the leave the office.
Maxlanus: Oh.
Hippocrates: We must apply bandages to wounds while in the midst of surgery or at the end. The bandages must not be so tight that they constrict the flow of a humor, and not be so loose that they would fall off. Practice will help in this area. Let the patient be a guide when applying bandages, they can tell you if it is too loose or too tight.
Maxlanus: Is this all I need to know?
Hippocrates: Absolutely not, but we are running out of time and bandwidth. You will learn so much in your future endeavors. Oh, remember to tell your patient to exercise if he is able. We do not want the patient to waste away. Well that is all for now. Lets go see if our patient is ready.
Image #2:
Greek Vaginal Speculum
Website: University of Virginia Health System
Weblink: http://www.med.virginia.edu/hs-library/historical/antiqua/instru.html
Image is to represent the crude nature of the surgical tools.
Primary Source:
Steve Thomas, Hippocrates Works on the Surgery, Translated by Francis Adams, http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/h/hippocrates/h7w/surgery.html
Nancy Demand, Hippocratic Treatise On Fractures, translated by Francis Adams,http://www.indiana.edu/~ancmed/fractures.htm Hippocrates evaluation of the treating of patients with fractured bones. Primary source by translation.
Secondary Source:
Francesca Spina, History of Medicine, http://pacs.unica.it/biblio/lesson1.htm, Thoughts on Roman medicine as well as Greek medicine. Notes from Prof. Alessandro Riva at the University of Cagliari.
Maxlanus: What will I be expected to do tomorrow when we visit this person?
Hippocrates: You will assist me in a small procedure, this is just to get you familiar with your surroundings and to ease your tension.
Maxlanus: Should I interact with the patient?
Hippocrates: No, I will talk with the patient. You will need to learn to make the patient feel at ease. Being a student can sometimes make the patient unsure of your abilities, especially if it is the students first time.
Maxlanus: Okay, but I have not studied. What do I need to know?
Hippocrates: We will just cover a few basic concepts. While in surgery we must remember to use our senses. They can tell us a great deal if we only choose to be aware of our surroundings, mainly the patient. Pay attention to what is heard, felt, smelled, and seen. Position of our bodies is very important to perform a proper surgery. We must position ourselves between the patient to promote efficient lighting and to create the best angle for the position of your hands. This reminds me to tell you about how important your hands are during surgery. Hands are your most important tool, the nails of the fingers are to be trim, hands should be of proper alignment to promote dexterity. You should practice using your hands and fingers, this will help your hands to move quickly.
Maxlanus: What do I do with my hands for practice?
Hippocrates: Make something up.
Hippocrates: Next, make sure your scalpels and such are within reach and ready for use. It is a horrible thing to have a man open and not able to find the proper tool. What do you say to the family in a situation like that? He was a metric and all I had was Babylonian. Anyway, be sure that your assistants are attentive and know the names of the tools if you call for them. Lets talk about some examples of injury that would require some type of surgery. For instance, lets speak of a soldier who was struck in the head by a type of weapon.
Maxlanus: Yea, I have seen this movie Troy and in the first scene..
Hippocrates: WHAT?
Maxlanus: Uh, nothing.
Hippocrates: We must look at at the injury, gather all the information we can by observation. How deep does the wound look? Was the blow to a portion of the head that was weak or strong? Does it appear that the bone was fractured? After visual assumptions are made gather your thoughts on how to proceed. What do you need do for this injury? If there is bone inside the head, should it be removed? This type of observation and response to your observations will improve with experience. Now lets talk about what you would do after you finish a procedure.
Maxlanus: You mean the wine.
Hippocrates: No, what to do with the patient after you have performed a procedure. The wine is after we the leave the office.
Maxlanus: Oh.
Hippocrates: We must apply bandages to wounds while in the midst of surgery or at the end. The bandages must not be so tight that they constrict the flow of a humor, and not be so loose that they would fall off. Practice will help in this area. Let the patient be a guide when applying bandages, they can tell you if it is too loose or too tight.
Maxlanus: Is this all I need to know?
Hippocrates: Absolutely not, but we are running out of time and bandwidth. You will learn so much in your future endeavors. Oh, remember to tell your patient to exercise if he is able. We do not want the patient to waste away. Well that is all for now. Lets go see if our patient is ready.
Image #2:
Greek Vaginal Speculum
Website: University of Virginia Health System
Weblink: http://www.med.virginia.edu/hs-library/historical/antiqua/instru.html
Image is to represent the crude nature of the surgical tools.
Primary Source:
Steve Thomas, Hippocrates Works on the Surgery, Translated by Francis Adams, http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/h/hippocrates/h7w/surgery.html
Nancy Demand, Hippocratic Treatise On Fractures, translated by Francis Adams,http://www.indiana.edu/~ancmed/fractures.htm Hippocrates evaluation of the treating of patients with fractured bones. Primary source by translation.
Secondary Source:
Francesca Spina, History of Medicine, http://pacs.unica.it/biblio/lesson1.htm, Thoughts on Roman medicine as well as Greek medicine. Notes from Prof. Alessandro Riva at the University of Cagliari.