The Hippocratic-Galenic Traditional Method Of Medicine

Medicine is not yet and may never be fully a science, and up to the century before World War I, the practice of medicine was not too different from those of the times of Hippocrates and Galen. Prior to talking about Influenza itself, John M. Barry describes the state of science, politics, and medicine throughout history. American medicine was far behind European medicine, and not until the late nineteenth century, did medical science transform from the most underdeveloped to one of the best in the world. After introducing a prologue presenting Paul Lewis and his need to find the pathogen and cause for the disease he believed to be Influenza, Barry moves on to explain why the Hippocratic-Galenic traditional method of medicine endured for so long. The Hippocratic-Galenic method was a perfect logical extension of what everyone believed at that time because it made sense. Both Hippocrates and Galen believed that illness was a result of an imbalance in the body, and that bleeding, sweating, urinating, defecating, and vomiting were successful ways for our body to restore its natural balance. It is because of that belief, that the most enduring practice of medicine was bleeding. Bleeding seemed like it reinforced their theories because sometimes it was proven to be successful among patients. The Hippocratic-Galenic
Barry, an author and historian born on 1947, is best known for his 2004 book The Great Influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history. He is also the author of four more books, including his award-winning book Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America. His articles have been shown in scientific journals like the Journal of Infectious Disease as well as in papers like The New York Times and The Washington Post. He has also been honored by the National Academies of Science, and has been included on advisory boards at places like MIT and Johns Hopkins. He currently resides in New Orleans and Washington,