Hippocrates and Modern Medicine

RESCHEDULED — Please note that this event, originally scheduled for 26 October 2023, has been rescheduled to Sunday 7 April 2024. At the time this event was rescheduled, current ticketholders were contacted. If you held a ticket for the original date, did not receive communication and require assistance, please contact the Hellenic Museum.

Often referred to as the "Father of Medicine", the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (ca. 460–377 BCE) was ahead of his time in many ways. His teachings shaped the foundations of modern medicine and continue to remain relevant today.

The Hippocratic approach moved the practice of medicine away from traditional and long-standing supernatural thinking – perceiving disease as punishment for sin, and attributing medical conditions to divine intervention – towards more rational approaches for understanding the human body. His developments provided more 'scientific' reasons for ailments, making diagnoses and prescribing lifestyle advice such as diet, exercise, rest, hygiene and sleep.

While Hippocrates' approach was not backed by the same scientific evidence we have today, his methods of observation, empirical learning and clinical knowledge brought him to the conclusion that lifestyle changes, the climate and environment manifested and impacted diseases. He also extensively used available herbal medicine for the treatment of diseases, which has since informed and been replaced with pharmaceutical medicines, many of which are derived from evidence-based herbs.

In this insightful presentation, Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos AM will speak on the various Hippocratic treatments and philosophy used in Antiquity, and its relevance to modern medicine, citing from the available research. 45-minute talk followed by a 15-minute Q&A session.

About the Presenter

Associate Professor Vicki Kotsirilos AM is a well-known, respected medical practitioner and adjunct Professor with the University of Western Sydney. She has visited the birthplace of Hippocrates on the island of Kos, and sourced information from the local Hippocrates Library and Asclepeon (a healing centre in honor of the God of Healing, Asclepius.)

Assoc. Prof. Kotsirilos has delivered numerous public talks, including as a keynote presenter on the works of Hippocrates at the Medico-legal Society Conference held on the island of Kos in 2011, and with The Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA) in 2018. She has published over 150 articles on various medical topics across a number of medical journals and public magazines, including the Medical Journal of Australia Insight, Prevention magazine, Australian Doctor, Medical Observer, and the Medical Republic. 

Her work has seen her awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia in 2016, and an Australia Day Environmental Award by Bayside City Council in 2017, among others. Assoc. Prof. Kotsirilos’ goal and passion is rooted in helping our society maintain a healthy community and population, and preserving and protecting our natural environment for future generations to enjoy.