부산대학교 도서관

Objective: Which theoretical and practical competences do the gynecological and obstetrical case histories of the Hippocratic Corpus convey?Material and methods: The 431 Hippocratic case histories have been studied for reports and communication on diagnostics, treatment and prognosis of women with gynecological diseases and obstetrical problems.Results: In the seven books of the Hippocratic Epidemics, a total of 16 women with gynecological disorders and 15 women suffering from complications before, during and after childbirth are described; most of the illnesses occurred postpartum. Tumor diseases are rarely mentioned. Pre-eclampsia and postpartum sepsis can be reliably identified as nosological entities. The verbal communication of the patients about the course of the disease was sparse; however, Hippocrates often narrates the progress in the daily rhythm. Diagnostics focused on inspection and palpation. Treatment was limited to conservative measures. Organ-specific interventions were the exception.Discussion: The Hippocratic doctor diagnosed and treated numerous gynecological diseases and complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The symptoms and findings are described in Epidemics in detail. The highest priority was given to caring for pregnant women. Among the diseases of the uterus, prolapse was of particular importance. In order to substantiate the genesis of the suffering and the therapeutic options, the doctor always looked for a synthesis of solidarity and humoral pathology. In almost all case reports, noninvasive treatment was in the foreground.