A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

HIPPOCRATES. HIPPOCRATES. 4
internal evidence to guide us in our task of ex- cherkunde fur die Aeltere Medicin; Littre's Hipanmining these writings, in order to decide which pocrates; and other professed bibliographical works.
really belong to Hippocrates, we should come to The works of Hippocrates first appeared in a Latin
but few positive results; and therefore it is neces- translation by Fabius Calvus, Rom. 1525, fol. The
sary to collect all the ancient testimonies that can first Greek edition is the Aldine, Venet. 1526, fol.,
still be found; in doing which, it will appear that which was printed from MSS. with hardly any
the Collection, as a whole, can'be traced no higher correction of the transcriber's errors. The first
than the period of the Alexandrian school, in the edition that had any pretensions to be called a
third century B. C.; but that particular treatises critical edition was that by Hieron. Mercurialis,
are referred to by the contemporaries of Hippocrates Venet. 1588, fol., Gr. and Lat.; but this was much
and his immediate successors. (Brit. and For. surpassed by that of Anut. Foisius, Francof.
Med. Rev. p. 460.) 1595, fol., Gr. and Lat., which continues to the
We find that Hippocrates is mentioned or re- present day to be the best complete edition. Vanferred to by no less than tenll persons anterior to der Linden's edition (Lugd. Bat. 1 665, 8vo. 2 vols.
the foundation of the Alexandrian school, and Gr. and Lat.) is neat and commodious for referamong them by Aristotle and Plato. At the time ence from his having divided the text into short
of the formation of the great Alexandrian library, paragraphs. Chartier's edition of the works of
the different treatises which bear the name of Hip- Galen and Hippocrates has been noticed under
pocrates were diligently sought for, and formed into GALEN; as has also Kiihn's, of which it may be
a single collection; and about this time commences said that its only advantages are its convenient
the series of Commentators, which has continued size, the reprint of Ackermann's Histor. Liter.
through a period of more than two thousand years Hippocr. (from Harless's ed. of Fabr. Bibl. Gr.) in
to the present day. The first person who is known the first vol., and the noticing on each page the corto have commented on any of the works of the responding pagination of the editions of Foes,
Hippocratic Collection is Herophilus. [HEROPHI- Chartier, and Vander Linden. By far the best
LUS.] The most ancient commentary still in ex- edition in every respect is one which is now in
istence is that on the treatise "De Articulis," by the course of publication at Paris, under the superApollonius Citiensis. [APOLLONIUS CITIENSIS.] intendence of E. Littr6, of which the first vol. apBy far the most voluminous, and at thesame time peared in 1839, and the fourth in 1844. It
by far the most valuable commentaries that remain, contains a new text, founded upon a collation of
are those of Galen, who wrote several works in the MSS. in the Royal Library at Paris; a French
illustration of the writings of Hippocrates, besides translation; an interesting and learned general Inthose which we now possess. His Commentaries, troduction, and a copious argument prefixed to each
which are still extant, are those on the "De Na- treatise; and numerous scientific and philological
tura Hominis," "De Salubri Victus Ratione," " De notes. It is a work quite indispensable to every
RationeVictus in Morbis Acutis," "Praenotiones," physician, critic, and philologist, who wishes to
".Praedictiones I.," "Aphorismi," " De Morbis study in detail the works of the Hippocratic ColVulgaribus I. II. III. VI," "De Fracturis," "De lection, and it has already done much more toArticulis," " De Officina Medici," and " De Hu- wards settling the text than any edition that has
moribus," with a glossary of difficult and obsolete preceded it; but at the same time it must not be
words, and fragments on the " De Adre, Aquis, et concealed that the editor does not seem to have
Locis," and," De Alimento." The other ancient always made the best use of the materials that he
commentaries that remain are those of Palladius, has had at his command, and that the classical
Joannes Alexandrinus, Stephanus Atheniensis, reader cannot help now and then noticing a maniMeletius, Theophilus Protospatharius, and Damas- fest want of critical (and even at times of gramcius; besides a spurious work attributed to Ori- matical) scholarship.
basius, a glossary of obsolete and difficult words by The Hippocratic Collection consists of more
Erotianus, and some Arabic Commentaries that than sixty works; and the classification of these,
have never been published. (Brit. and For. Med. and assigning each (as far as possible) to its
Rev. p. 461.) proper author, constitutes by far the most diffiHis writings were held in the highest esteem by cult question connected with the ancient medical
the ancient Greek and Latin physicians, and most writers. Various have been the classifications
of them were translated into Arabic. (See Wen- proposed both in ancient and modern times, and
rich, De Auct. Graec. Vets. et Comment. Syr. various the rules by which their authors were
Arab., &c.) In the middle ages, however, they guided; some contenting themselves with following
were not so much studied as those of some other implicitly the -opinions of Galen and Erotianus,
authors, whose works are of a more practical cha- others arguing chiefly from peculiarities of style,
racter, and better fitted for being made a class-book while a third class distinguished the books accordand manual of instruction. In more modern times, ing to the medical and philosophical doctrines
on the contrary, the works of the Hippocratic Col- contained in them. An account of each of these
lection have been valued more according to their classifications cannot be given here, much less can
real worth, while many of the most popular medical the objections that may be brought against each be
writers of the middle ages have fallen into complete pointed out: upon the whole, the writer is inclined
neglect. - The number of works written in illustra- to think M. Littr6's superior to any that has pretion or explanation of the Collection is very great, ceded it; but by no means so unexceptionable as
as is also that of the editions of the whole or any to do away with the necessity of a new one. The
part of the treatises composing it. Of these only a following classification, though far enough from
very few can be here mentioned: a fuller account supplying the desideratum, differs in several inmay be found in Fabric. Bibl. Graec.; Haller, stances from any former one: it is impossible here
Bibl. Medic. Pract.; the first vol. of KUhn's edi- for the writer to give more than the results of his
tion of Hippocrates; Choulant's HIandb. der Bii- investigation, referring for the data on which his
II 3