Hippocrates - The father of spine surgery

Hippocrates (5th-4th century B.C.), the founder of scientific medicine, lef t a valuable heritage of knowledge and methodology, which extends to almost all branches of modern medicine. Among the many fields of medicine he expl ored, he devoted much of his scientific interest to the study of orthopedic s In fact, some of the principles found in the Hippocratic treatises On Fra ctures and On Joints are still valid today. This great physician also was t he first to deal with the anatomy and the pathology of human spine. In his books, he provides a precise description of the segments and the normal cur ves of the spine, the structure of the vertebrae, the tendons attached to t hem, the blood supply to the spine, and even its anatomic relations to adja cent vessels. The Hippocratic list of spinal diseases includes tuberculous spondylitis, post-traumatic kyphosis, scoliosis, concussion, dislocations o f the vertebrae, and fractures of the spinous processes. Hippocrates devise d two apparatuses, known as the Hippocratic ladder and the Hippocratic boar d, to reduce displaced vertebrae. Those pioneer methods are deemed to be th e precursors to the sophisticated techniques used in spine surgery today. B ecause of his thorough study of spinal diseases and their management, which was the first such study in orthopedics in the history of medicine, Hippoc rates should be regarded as the father of spine surgery.