″I will not cut, even for the stone″: origins of urology in the Hippocratic Collection.
The Hippocratic Collection, including the most of ancient Greek medicine, remains still interesting, despite the recent advances that transformed definitely the urological healing methods. Considering the patient as a unique psycho-somatic entity and avoiding high risk surgical manipulations were the leading principles dictating the everyday practice. Contemporary physicians can still learn from the clinical observations in times of complete absence of laboratory or imaging aid, from the prognostic thoughts, the ethics, and the philosophical concepts, represented by the Hippocratic writings, tracing into them the roots of Rational Medicine in general and Urology in particular.
Department of History of Medicine, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece.
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Poulakou-Rebelakou
Urological Department, Hippocrateion Hospital, Athens, Greece.
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Rempelakos
Department of Microbiology, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece.
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Tsiamis
National Committee of Ethics and Deontology, Athens, Greece.
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Dimopoulos
D000076145:Greece, Ancient; D049690:History, Ancient; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000266:history*; D010686:Philosophy, Medical / Q000266:history; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000266:history; D014572:Urology / Q000266:history*