Treating sick people before Hippocrates came along! 

1. Before 400BC the Ancient Greeks believed that illness was a punishment sent by the gods.

The earliest Ancient Greeks thought that illness and disease were caused by the gods, and therefore only the gods could cure them.

Can you name the three gods in the picture? For the answers click here

2. So the only way to cure yourself was to pray to the gods.

3. Asklepius (sometimes spelt Asclepius) was the god of medicine and he had sanctuaries all over Greece where people went and prayed to him and gave sacrifices. If you were cured after praying to Asklepius, it was polite to leave a thank you offering.  The offerings were usually a painting or sculpture of the healed body part. People left these at the sanctuary.

After the sixth century BCE, temple hospitals were set up in many city-states. They were called asklepeia after Asklepius.

4. The biggest asklepeia was at Epidaurus. People would have slept the night there. They believed that Asklepius would appear in their dreams and prescribe treatments. The treatments included rest, magic, herbs, diet and exercises.

Nowadays historians think that the priests drugged the patients and whilst they were in a deep sleep treated them with herbs. The patients would not remember and would think the gods had cured them.

 5. Hippocrates was the first man to treat patients himself using observation, environment and climate. He would observe the patient carefully, ask questions, take notes and look at the climate to find the best treatment.

6. People still prayed to Asklepius but during this golden age (475-430BC) Ancient Greeks visited health centres called asklepieum for medicines. These medicines were made of plants such as nettles to cleanse the blood and mustard to kill germs.