On the Nature of Bones

Hippocrates. Oeuvres complètes d'Hippocrate, Vol. 9. Littré, Émile, editor. Paris: Baillière, 1861

A Digital Corpus for Graeco-Arabic Studies · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This treatise is a medical work that elucidates the anatomical structure and physiological phenomena of the human skeleton, internal organs, and particularly the complex network of blood vessels. Despite its title, "On the Nature of Bones," the text places a significant emphasis on a detailed description of the vascular system. In the first half, after addressing the bones and major organs, the author details the branching and intersecting paths of blood vessels originating from the heart and liver. The middle section categorizes the four main pairs of blood vessels, discussing the fundamental principles of bloodletting (phlebotomy) as a clinical treatment, alongside the structure of the trachea and the mechanisms of respiratory diseases. In the latter half, the work explores the physiological mechanisms of erection and ejaculation in the reproductive system, as well as the pathways of vessels ascending from the lower limbs. Ultimately, it explains how the heart controls the vascular movement of the entire body, affecting even skin color, thereby presenting the human body as a unified system integrated by a circular vascular network.