I Swear Trivia Quiz

Answer: Physicians

Known as the "Father of Medicine", Hippocrates was a physician during the Golden Age, which is considered to be one of the most brilliant times in history. Born on the island of Kos, it is believed that Hippocrates, who is also known as Hippocrates II, learned the practice of medicine from his father, Heraclides, and his grandfather, Hippocrates I.

The first person credited with believing that illness was caused by natural occurrence rather than the wrath of the gods, Hippocrates attempted to separate religion and worship, encouraging his patients to watch their diets and live in a healthy environment.

He is also credited with writing the Hippocratic Oath.

Answer: "Hippocratic Corpus"

A collection of approximately seventy works, including lectures and essays, the "Hippocratic Corpus", was probably not exclusively authored by Hippocrates; scholars today believe that his students and followers also contributed to the work. The Hippocratic Oath, a document covering ethics, is found in the "Corpus", and for many years, it was believed that it was written by Hippocrates himself.

Many scholars today, however, believe that it may have been written after his death. There is no doubt, however, that the oath helped to define what is considered to be good practice in the medical field.

In 1964, Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, rewrote the Hippocratic Oath; the updated version is still used in some medical schools today.

Answer: Zeus

"I swear by Apollo The Healer, by Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the Gods and Goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will carry out, according to my ability and judgment, this oath and this indenture". Apollo, like many of the Greek gods, had a variety of roles and duties; not only was he a healer, but he also brought diseases and death with his arrows.

His son, Asclepius, was raised and instructed in the art of medicine by a centaur named Chiron. However, it was believed to have been a snake who taught him secret knowledge that was associated with the art of healing.

The Greeks believed that Asclepius was such a talented healer that he had to be killed by Zeus in order to curb the overpopulation caused by such a small number of the people dying! Hygieia and Panacea were the daughters of Apollo. Hygieia was connected to hygiene and cleanliness - the prevention of poor health, and Panacea was the goddess of universal remedy.

Answer: Parents

In the oath, the initiate not only promises to treat his teacher as he does his parents, but also to work with him, and even help support his teacher monetarily if necessary. In addition, his teacher's family became his own family, and he promised to teach the family members, as well as his own sons, and any indentured pupils who had also taken the oath, "but no one else".

The Greek concept of family, or "oikos", had several meanings; the line of descent from one generation to another, as well as the physical home where the extended family lived was extremely important in ancient Greece. As the absolute head of the family, the father was expected to provide his sons with a skill; in eventual old age, then, the sons would take care of the father, and eventually inherit the property. While the mother had no political rights, her power in the household was a reflection of how much control her husband wanted to give to her. Failure to take care of one's parents was viewed as such a terrible crime that the punishment could be loss of citizenship - and losing citizenship was a high price to pay to the ancient Greeks. The vow taken during the Hippocratic Oath would have been taken very seriously.

Answer: False

The oath specifies, "Neither will I administer a poison to anybody when asked to do so, nor will I suggest such a course". When studying the classical Greek philosophers, one can see their views on suicide. Socrates, for example, believed "a man, who is one of the god's possessions, should not kill himself until the god sends some compulsion upon him..." While some may be quick to point out that Socrates went against his own beliefs by choosing suicide, it must be remembered that his situation was vastly more complicated that simply choosing suicide as one of the options given. Plato believed, "Crimes against the state are crimes against the gods, and vice versa.

When a man kills himself without good reason... he is committing a crime". Aristotle believed that suicide was allowed if the State ordered it - as with the case of Socrates - but otherwise seemed "unmanly or rather cowardly". Essentially, the Greek view of suicide was that it was wrong, unless the person was given a sign from the gods that it was time to end his life.

When confronted with this situation, ancient Greek physicians appear to have believed that the mental problems that led to suicide were caused by an unbalance of the humours, and tried to use herbs to induce calm behavior.

Answer: Private information about their patients.

Hippocrates demanded professionalism from his followers. Doctors were expected to be groomed, and their fingernails were to be kept at a certain length! They were to be calm and honest; overall, the emphasis was to be both gentle and kind. In the oath, it was noted that the doctor would probably hear and see things that should not be repeated, and also in his daily life outside of his profession.

The man himself was to be discreet and never divulge the holy secrets, or the private information about the patients and their lives. Today there are laws that dictate and regulate the issue of privacy for the patients - in ancient Greece it was a matter of keeping one's word.

Answer: False

At first view it does appear that the Hippocratic Oath forbade surgical procedure: "I will not use the knife, not even, verily, on sufferers from stone, but I will give place to such as are craftsmen therein". One must remember, however, that an important concept taught by Hippocrates was to help the patient and not harm him.

In most cases, surgical procedure was considered to be just too risky; a minor operation on a soldier wounded in battle would, of course, be carried out. Hippocrates is considered by many to be the first physician to document a chest surgery.

Answer: Reputation

"Now if I carry out this oath, and break it not, may I gain for ever reputation among all men for my life and for my art; but if I transgress it and forswear myself, may the opposite befall me". To the ancient Greeks, reputation was something that lived on after mortals died. Whether a person was a soldier, philosopher, politician or poet, it was important to make a name for oneself so that their name would be remembered for generations. Hippocrates had the sort of reputation about which the ancient Greeks dreamed.

His ideas, for generations, were believed to be too great to be improved.

Answer: Apple Cider Vinegar

It is well-known that Hippocrates prescribed apple cider vinegar mixed with honey for a variety of health problems, including coughs and colds. Hippocrates also suggested fasting in some cases, as well as diet and exercise. Today these changes in routine are called "lifestyle medicine". Hippocrates is credited with saying, "Walking is man's best medicine". Okay! How many of you still have steps to do today?

Answer: Unfortunately, no important advancements were made for quite some time.

We know today, of course, that Hippocrates was incorrect regarding humours, and the ancient Greek restriction on doctors dissecting bodies meant that he and his students really knew very little about anatomy and physiology. Hippocrates made such a good reputation for himself, and he was so well-respected, that after his death in c. 370 BC, people were willing to continue to accept his ideas, even though many of them were incorrect, believing his teachings were too great to be improved. Further improvements in medicine were not made until the time of Galen, who lived from 129-200; he revived many of the ideas and methods of the great Hippocrates, but also made forward advancement in his studies.

In the picture is the "Hippocratic bench", a device which is believed to have been the forerunner to traction devices used today.