Hippocrates of Cos

Hippocrates of Kos
A conventionalized image in a Roman "portrait" bust (19th-century engraving)
Native name	Ἱπποκράτης
Born	c. 460 BC Kos, Ancient Greece
Died	c.370 BC Larissa, Ancient Greece
Occupation	Physician
Era	Classical Greece
Title	The Father of Western Medicine

Hippocrates of Kos (/hɪˈpɒkrəˌtiːz/; Greek: Ἱπποκράτης; Hippokrátēs; c. 460 – c. 370 BC), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles (Classical Greece), and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is referred to as the "Father of Modern Medicine" in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field as the founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine. This intellectual school revolutionized medicine in ancient Greece, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields with which it had traditionally been associated (theurgy and philosophy), thus establishing medicine as a profession.

However, the achievements of the writers of the Corpus, the practitioners of Hippocratic medicine, and the actions of Hippocrates himself were often commingled; thus very little is known about what Hippocrates actually thought, wrote, and did. Hippocrates is commonly portrayed as the of the ancient physician, and credited with coining the Hippocratic Oath, still relevant and in use today. He is also credited with greatly advancing the systematic study of clinical medicine, summing up the medical knowledge of previous schools, and prescribing practices for physicians through the Hippocratic Corpus and other works.