The Use of Physical Exercise in the Hippocratic Corpus

Abstract

This thesis sets out to prove that the Hippocratic Corpus uses exercise prescriptions for the treatment of various pathologies, showing concordance with modern EIM (‘exercise is medicine’) principles. I provide an analysis of both the Hippocratic views on exercise and the prescriptions themselves from the following texts: Regimen, Internal Affections, and Regimen in Acute Diseases. The fundamental purpose of this research project is to study the origins of exercise therapy as a medical practice in the ancient world.