Gregory Tsoucalas and Markos Sgantzos
Hippocrates and his followers, confronted with the infection of the lower respiratory tract, having understood that pulmonary diseases had a high rate of prevalence and mortality among the general population of the ancient Greek communities. He had used the "four humours theory" to explain its origin. Our study, reviewed Corpus Hippocraticum, in order to synthesize various fragments of different works, to compose the hallmarks in bronchiolitis, pleurisy, peripneumonia, pneumonia with their lethal complication empyema and to present the fatal lung infection, the pulmonary phthisis (tuberculosis). Vivid descriptions of the symptomatology were given, alongside with the efforts for treatment. Hippocrates was the first to use comparative hearing of both lungs, and the physician who have established thoracocentesis for the empyema's drainage, combined with parenteric nutrition and endotracheal intubation.