“A physician without a knowledge of Astrology has no right to call himself a physician.”
- c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC
- Greek
- Physician, “Father of Medicine”
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Quote
“A physician without a knowledge of Astrology has no right to call himself a physician.”
Explanation
This quote can be traced to ancient sources and is found in some medieval interpretations of Hippocratic teachings, particularly those influenced by later Hellenistic and Islamic scholars who blended medicine with astrology. However, the attribution to Hippocrates himself is disputed and likely apocryphal. While some fragments of the Hippocratic Corpus reference celestial bodies in relation to health, there is no definitive evidence that Hippocrates made this statement in this exact form.
In ancient Greece, astrology and medicine were not as clearly separated as they are today. The movements of the stars and planets were thought to influence human temperament, disease cycles, and even the timing of treatment. This belief was especially reinforced in later antiquity and the Middle Ages, when astrology became a respected component of scholarly medicine, particularly in Islamic and European medical traditions.
From a modern standpoint, the quote serves more as a historical curiosity than a guiding principle. Contemporary medicine has thoroughly rejected astrology as a scientific tool, emphasizing evidence-based practice and biological understanding. Still, this quote illustrates how ancient and medieval medicine often relied on symbolic and cosmic frameworks to make sense of the human body and its ailments—an important reminder of how scientific paradigms evolve over time.
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