Source edition
Hippocrates. Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, Vol. 8. Littré, Émile, editor. Paris: Baillière, 1853
Source data
A Digital Corpus for Graeco-Arabic Studies · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This medical and philosophical work provides a physical explanation of the formation of human bodily tissues and the mechanisms of sensation through the interactions of cosmic elements. The work begins by proposing that the separation and interaction of the four elements—heat (ether), earth, air, and water—physically shape primary bodily structures such as bones, tendons, and blood vessels. In the middle chapters, the author details how organs and tissues, including the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and skin, are formed through physical processes of heating, cooling, drying, and coagulation. The discussion then shifts to the developmental processes of teeth and hair, as well as the physiological mechanisms of hearing, smelling, seeing, and vocalization. Finally, the treatise concludes by asserting that human life, development, and illness are governed by the number seven and its cycles, illustrating a physical and numerical harmony between the human body and the cosmos.