{"id":3788,"date":"2018-06-30T09:40:46","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T09:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=3788"},"modified":"2026-06-21T10:48:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T10:48:57","slug":"medicine-in-ancient-greece","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/medicine-through-time\/medicine-in-ancient-greece\/","title":{"rendered":"Medicine in Ancient Greece"},"content":{"rendered":"

Medicine was very important in Ancient Greece. Ancient Greek Culture was such that a high priority was placed upon healthy lifestyles. Utilising ideas from Egypt and developing new ideas, the Greeks are in many ways the founders of medicine as we know it. Philosophers wrote theories, doctors developed ideas and these were written, taught and distributed. Alongside the emergence of a science or philosophy based approach to medicine was the continuation of superstition and religion in medical practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ancient Greek Medicine<\/h2>\n

Medical practice in Ancient Greece, like Egypt<\/a>, was based largely upon religious beliefs. The Cult of Asclepius<\/a> grew in popularity and was a major provider of medical care. This cult developed old theories and introduced several treatments not too dissimilar from modern ‘alternative medicines’.<\/p>\n

\"Ancient<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The Ancient Greeks made major strides in medical knowledge. The works of Hippocrates<\/a> and his followers led to several scientific facts being recorded for the first time: and perhaps more significantly the work of these philosophers began a tradition of studying the cause of disease rather than looking solely at the symptoms when prescribing a cure.<\/p>\n

The significance of Ancient greek medicine is great. Hippocrates theory of the Four Humours<\/a> was, for a long time, the basis upon which to develop medical reasoning. Likewise the methodology employed by the Greeks has, to a large extent, been retained and modified to form what we now consider to be conventional medicine.<\/p>\n

\"Hippocrates,<\/a>
Hippocrates. Father of Medicine. Lived in Ancient Greece<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/div>\n

Medicine in Ancient Greece<\/h2>\n

Hippocrates – The Father of Medicine<\/a><\/p>\n

The Theory of the Four Humours<\/a><\/p>\n

The Cult of Asclepius<\/a><\/p>\n

Public Health in Ancient Greece<\/a><\/p>\n

Remember to compare medicine in Ancient Greece with Egyptian Medicine<\/a>. This will help you to understand continuity and change. Also look at Roman Medicine<\/a> and Medicine in the Middle Ages<\/a> to see the lasting impact of Greek ideas about medicine.<\/p>\n

You can find a range of activities about medicine in Ancient Greece on our teachers resource page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Medicine in Ancient Greece<\/a> – Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine<\/a> – The Theory of the Four Humours<\/a> – Cult of Asclepius<\/a> – Public Health in Ancient Greece<\/a> – Revision Game – Ancient Medicine<\/a><\/p>\n

Medicine through time<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Prehistoric Medicine<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Egyptian Medicine<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Greek Medicine<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Roman Medicine<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Medieval Medicine<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Medicine in the Renaissance<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Fight against Infectious Disease<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Public Health in the Industrial Revolution<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Modern Medicine<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Revise for Medicine through time GCSE<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0GCSE History of Medicine resources<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medicine was very important in Ancient Greece. Ancient Greek Culture was such that a high priority was placed upon healthy lifestyles. Utilising ideas from Egypt and developing new ideas, the Greeks are in many ways the founders of medicine as we know it. Philosophers wrote theories, doctors developed ideas and these were written, taught and… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3922,"parent":32,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":100,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3788","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t