W2.S3 Activity:

1)What is the claim that the author is making?

The author claims that although modern medicine has significantly advanced both scienctifically and technologically, there is a high risk that we are moving further away from the holistic treatment methods that Hippocrates first devised. This is bad because it removes the more personal elements with the patient and results in a less "human" experience. The proposed solution is that we integrate our modern scientific advancements with the fundamental holistic principles that were taught by Hippocrates.

2)What does Orfanos mean by holistic medicine?

Orfanos' definition of holistic medicine is in-line with Hippocrates' definition of it. Holistic medicine refers to treating the patient as a whole, observing all aspects and not just treating the symptoms or a single, isolated part of the patient.

3)Can you state what "physis" is in three sentences or less?

"Physis" refers to the natural order and self-regulating processes of the body. Hippocrates adapted this idea from the Greek's philosophy that all things stemmed from the 4 elements, and believed that illness was caused by an imbalance in "physis". "Physis" is one of HIppocrates' core teachings and was essentially the backbone for holistic medicine at the time.

4)How was Hippocrates able to turn medicine from the theoretical to a practise that could be followed? Give at least 2 examples.

The key things that Hippocrates focused on to transform medicine from something theoretical to more practical is the systematic observation of symptoms and ailments, keeping records, and upholding professional ethics. One example of how Hippocrates achieved this transformation is through the Hippocratic Collection. This was a vast collection of records created by Hippocrates and his followers. This resulted in medicine being treated more systematically with ailments being thought through logically rather than attributing it to the supernatural. Another way that Hippocrates achieved this transformation is through the Hippocratic oath. This was a set of ethical principles created by Hippocrates that all physicians were expected to follow. This was essentially the list of responsibilities that physicians had to the general public. This truly defined the professionalism of medicine that we see today in modern medicine.

5)Explain in a short paragraph how knowledge was transferred from Hippocrates to the Middle Ages.

Hippocrates' knowledge was primarily stored in his writtings and that knowledge was eventually passed down through a series of interactions between different groups. After the decline of the Greek and Roman civilisations, Arabic scholars got hold of Hippocrates' work and began translating it. They started to integrate some of his teachings and principles with their own medical advancements. Eventually, these works were translated into Latin and were reintroduced to Europe during the Middle Ages. Many early universities then adopted those teachings into their curriculums.

6)What does Orfanos aim to show through his recitation of history and the transfer of knowledge?

Orfanos illustrates that all medical knowledge is built on what came before it and although modern scientific, medical advancements are important we should not forget the origins of medicine and how we ultimately arrived at these modern discoveries. He also emphasises that we risk losing the more humanistic side of medicine tha Hippocrates so heavily focused on due to our technological advancements. We are treating patients too systematically and removing the "human" side of medicine. He aims to show us that we need to consider all of the history of medicine as just because information or teachings might be old, it doesn't mean that they have no value.

7)Are you convinced by his reasons? In a small paragraph, explain why or why not.