[The surgical case reports of Hippocrates of Cos. Medical Practice in Ancient Greece]

Which theoretical and practical competences do the surgical case histories of the Hippocratic Corpus convey?

The 431 Hippocratic case histories have been studied for reports and communication on diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of single persons and groups of patients suffering from surgical diseases.

Within the 7 books of the Hippocratic "Epidemics", a total of 18 patients with general and visceral surgical diseases are described. The main signs of the disorders were fever, pain, looseness, constipation, colic, swelling and bleeding, the most common affections abscesses, ruptures, ulcers and necroses. In addition, breast cancer can be reliably identified. Seven men are facing six women. Moreover, four children and one group are described. The patients' information about the course of their disease is sparse. Diagnostics were limited to inspection and palpation. In many cases, the treating physician confined to conservative measures. Among the surgical interventions incision, cauterization and bloodletting dominated. 11 of 18 patients succumbed to their diseases.

The Hippocratic doctor diagnosed and treated a limited number of general and visceral surgical diseases. The symptoms of inflammation and traumatic lesions are narrated in detail. The observer describes the bloody secretion in two women with breast cancer as briefly as impressively. In two thirds of the cases, neither conservative measures alone nor in combination with invasive treatment led to enduring success. Complete recovery is reported of only three persons. The unfavourable balance of treatment for the involved physicians is an important reason for the confidence of scientists in the credibility of the Hippocratic case histories.