Hippocrates. Aphorismi Hippocratus (Hippocrates' Aphorisms). Amsterdam: Hendrik Wetstein, 1685.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, lived from around 460 to 370 BCE in Greece. His scientific approach to medical diagnosis and treatment replaced efforts to heal based on magic and religion. This 1685 edition illustrates the continued influence of Hippocrates on medical thought and practice. The aphorisms were a series of observations from which the patient's affliction could be deduced and treatment prescribed. Their broad application made them exceptionally valuable to medical practitioners of the time. Medical students probably used this small volume.

Translation of first aphorism:

"Life is short, and Art long; the crisis fleeting; experience perilous and decision difficult. The physician must not only be prepared to do what is right himself, but also to make the patient, the attendants, and externals cooperate."

Translation from: http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/aphorisms.1.i.html

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