influence in converting some of the leading men
of his nation to the Persian cause. Laden with the wealth that had
been heaped upon him by Darius, he set forth upon his mission, but upon
reaching his native city of Croton he threw off his mask, renounced his
Persian mission, and became once more a free Greek.

While the story of Democedes throws little light upon the medical
practices of the time, it shows that paid city medical officers existed
in Greece as early as the fifth and sixth centuries B.C. Even then
there were different "schools" of medicine, whose disciples disagreed
radically in their methods of treating diseases; and there were also
specialists in certain diseases, quacks, and charlatans. Some physicians
depended entirely upon external lotions for healing all disorders;
others were "hydrotherapeutists" or "bath-physicians"; while there
were a host of physicians who administered a great variety of herbs and
drugs. There were also magicians who pretended to heal by sorcery, and
great numbers of bone-setters, oculists, and dentists.

Many of the wealthy physicians had hospitals, or clinics, where patients
were operated upon and treated. They were not hospitals in our modern
understanding of the term, but were more like dispensaries, where
patients were treated temporarily, but were not allowed to remain for
any length of time. Certain communities established and supported these
dispensaries for the care of the poor.

But anything approaching a rational system of medicine was not
established, until Hippocrates of Cos, the "father of medicine," came
upon the scene. In an age that produced Phidias, Lysias, Herodotus,
Sophocles, and Pericles, it seems but natural that the medical art
should find an exponent who would rise above superstitious dogmas
and lay the foundation for a medical science. His rejection of the
supernatural alone stamps the greatness of his genius. But, besides
this, he introduced more detailed observation of diseases, and
demonstrated the importance that attaches to prognosis.

Hippocrates was born at Cos, about 460 B.C., but spent most of his life
at Larissa, in Thessaly. He was educated as a physician by his father,
and travelled extensively as an itinerant practitioner for several
years. His travels in different climates and among many different people
undoubtedly tended to sharpen his keen sense of observation. He was
a practical physician as well as a theorist, and, withal, a clear