Hippocrates

The name "Hippocrates" originates from ancient Greek, combining "hippos" (horse) and "kratos" (power or rule). Thus, it translates to "power of the horse." This name was common in ancient Greece, reflecting a cultural reverence for horses, often associated with strength and nobility.

A famous physician of Cos, one of the Cyelades, who flourished at Athens during the invasion of Artaxerxes, and ilelivered that to^^^l from a dreadful pestilence. He was called "the father of Medicine". Having studied his art from the votive tablets offered by the cured patients at the temples of ^^sculapius, he became an Initiate and the most proficient healer of his day, so much so that he was almost deified. His learning and knowledge were enormous. Galen says of his writings that they are truly the voice of an oracle. He died in his 100th year 361 B.C. Hippopotamus ((Gr.). In Egyptian symbolism Typhon was called ■'the hippopotamus who slew his father and violated his mother," Rhea (mother of the Gods). His father was Chronos. As applied therefore to Time and Nature (Chronos and Rhea), the accusation becomes corajirehensible. The type of Cosmic Disharmony. Typhon, who is also Python, the monster formed of the slime of the Deluge of Deucalion, "violates" his mother. Primordial Harmony, whose beneficence was so great that she was called "The Mother of the Golden Age". It was Typhon, who put an end to the latter, i.e., produced the first war of the elements.

Hippocrates, the physician of Cos, stands as a colossus in the history of Western thought, not merely for his medical acumen but for the philosophical underpinnings of his practice. Blavatsky's inclusion of him, even with the curious digression into Egyptian symbolism, hints at a deeper resonance. She highlights his study of "votive tablets," suggesting a keen observer of human experience and the tangible evidence of suffering and recovery. This act of meticulous observation, of learning from the lived narratives of the afflicted, is itself a form of esoteric practice—a commitment to understanding the world through its manifestations.

His designation as "the father of Medicine" is not merely an honorific but a recognition of a fundamental paradigm shift. Before Hippocrates, illness was often attributed to the wrath of gods or the influence of malevolent spirits. The Hippocratic corpus, however, championed a naturalistic explanation, positing that disease arose from imbalances within the body, influenced by environment, diet, and lifestyle. This rational approach, as Mircea Eliade might observe in his studies of shamanism and ancient religions, represented a move away from purely magical explanations towards a more immanent understanding of the cosmos and humanity's place within it.

The ancient Greeks, in their rich tapestry of myth and philosophy, often saw the divine interwoven with the natural. Asclepius, the god of healing, was himself born of Apollo, linking divine power to earthly remedies. Hippocrates, by studying the offerings at temples dedicated to such deities, was not necessarily rejecting the divine but rather seeking to understand its expression in the material world. This is akin to the alchemist’s pursuit of the prima materia, seeking the divine essence within the earthly substance. His knowledge was "enormous," not just in its breadth but in its depth—a profound comprehension of the intricate mechanisms of life.

The Egyptian symbolism Blavatsky introduces, while seemingly tangential, speaks to archetypal forces. Typhon, the chaotic destroyer, stands in opposition to primordial harmony. This dualistic struggle, the tension between order and disorder, is a theme that echoes across myriad traditions, from the Zoroastrian struggle between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu to the Buddhist concept of dukkha (suffering) arising from attachment and ignorance. Hippocrates, in his quest to restore health, was essentially engaging in a battle against the cosmic disharmony that manifests as disease, seeking to re-establish equilibrium through rational intervention. His legacy is a powerful reminder that the path to healing, whether of the body or the spirit, often lies in the patient, discerning observation of the present moment and the intricate dance of forces that shape our reality.

RELATED_TERMS: Health, Balance, Observation, Rationality, Equilibrium, Naturalism, Holism