Today is the day I decided to start recording my daily experiences in the study of the human form.  My focus is the causation and treatment of illnesses.  For the record my name is Cleopatros, although many refer to me as Cleopas.  The year is 300 B.C. and I am a practicing physician.  I am interested as a healer and follow Hippocrates of Cos's writings.  I do not seek to exploit the sick for my own advancement, because I believe in the importance of accurate diagnosis and prognosis and strive to understand with reason the cause of disease and its successful treatment.  In the "medical marketplace" here, patients have the right to chose who treats them (Porter 50).  I share Hippocrates' views towards the "Sacred Disease" because I believe there are sensible causes to such diseases. 

 

         Just today I visited a patient with very similar symptoms.  If I wanted to protect my reputation, it would be easy for me to credit something divine as the sole instigator or healer of such a disease.  But I, being the good Hippocratic scholar, do not believe the story is so simple.  If I made such a claim to my patient today, then what credibility would I have?  If I were like a witch-doctor and called myself a  "healer", but then turn around if a patient dies and point the finger to the gods, would that encourage the pursuit of knowledge?  With every patient I attempt to understand the nature of his or her disease, so that I may be able to predict the course of the disease.  I use my knowledge of Hippocrates's Book of Prognostics  to make my diagnoses and prognoses.  I would like to take this moment to tell you about the conditions of some of my patients and how I treat them.  

        Three days ago I treated a young girl, whom I will refer to as Patient A, who was ill with a fever.  I observed her waving her arms in front of her face, which could indicate a number of things.  I realized, however, that her body was very warm and I believed her to be on the brink of breaking her fever because she was sweating a great deal.  There are two different types of sweating, one good and one bad.  Cold sweats are generally bad but luckily for Patient A, her sweats were an indication that she was overcoming the disease.  She was also young and often times youthful bodies fight disease better.

          Two days ago I visited another patient, Patient B, who was sick with fits of nausea, diarrhea, and pain in his abdomen.  His vomit began as a balanced mix of phlegm and bile, but as his nausea persisted the bile became the dominant substance.  This could be dangerous if it persists for a number of days.  Patient B was also experiencing pains in his abdomen, but I believed they were connected to his bouts of diarrhea.  The excrement was very watery, but was not a strange color which could be a warning sign of something more serious (Prognostics).  I did not believe his condition to be extremely dangerous because his symptoms were not extremely alarming.  I checked on him this morning and found that his condition had significantly improved.

          The patient I tended to today,  Patient C, was in a very bad state.  The subject's face was a pale lead color and his eyes were slightly open while he was in a state of sleep in the middle of the day.  Sleeping during the daylight hours can be a sign of illness, because those who are healthy are awake during the day and sleep at night.  When the Patient C was conscious he indicated that he had pain in his lower back.  These were all uncharacteristic and concerned me greatly.  Especially considering just a few days ago the man's condition was milder and I recommended he wait a few days to see if his condition improved.  If the ailment of the body was naturally minor it should have resolved itself within a matter of days.  The observation of urine is also very important and often indicates whether a person is healthy or not.  During my last visit I observed his urine and only noticed the presence of some starchy sediment.  Today, however, his urine was almost black and contained starchy clouds.  Like I said, I have been watching this man's condition closely for that passed few days, but the nature of his symptoms have caused me great concern.  After careful study of Hippocrates's Book of Prognostics I consider his condition grave and his death very likely.

              I try to examine any and all irregularities and symptoms in my patients.  Through these observations I can refer back to case histories for typical courses of many diseases.  Many of the treatments I recommend are dietary, exercise, and sleep regularity (Lindberg 117).  I strive to help my patients correct imbalances in his or her four humors which are responsible for disease (Lindberg 116). I take my profession very seriously and strive for correct prognoses.