A more comprehensive run through of dislocations and some other injuries; On the Articulations, Hippocrates

 Why you might read On the Articulations?

On the Articulations is a more in-depth form. We have previously seen dislocations treated but this is a more comprehensive volume. As such it gives even greater insight into how crippling dislocations could be and how they could be sometimes treated.

In my Self Education project, it starts to fill that gap of how injuries were treated. Injuries being the other part of medicine. It also gives insight into how dangerous a dislocation was at the time.

Content of On the Articulations

On the articulations works its way through dislocations an injuries of the joints. These range from shoulder to hip, from elbow to knee and also include the spine. All of these include discussions on mechanical aids and devices. For the hip, Hippocrates spends a lot of time on the deformations that will occur if the joint is not reduced. He does eventually get onto the difficulties and ways to reduce the joint. He does point out with the hip that it really needs to be done immediately. Because otherwise, the inflammation will make it impossible.

With all the joints he points out that you should not reduce the injury if the skin is broken. Reducing at that point is likely to kill the patient. It does mean however that they will be crippled by the injury. He also states that if the inflammation had come in the joint can only be reduced once the inflammation starts to come down. Reduction at this point will be a lot harder.

Reflections on On the Articulations

As I have said in other words, it strikes me how much easily injuries could cripple someone. Hippocrates spends a lot of time on this with the hip joint and the hand. It makes me thankful for modern medicine. Though I haven't broken or dislocated a joint, the thought that just that could make me a cripple is sobering.

Hippocrates treatment of club foot is interesting. He simply states that a lot can be done by slowly bringing the foot back into the right position. He does so with bandages. I do not know if this treatment actually fixes the problem or just gives a cognate to normal function.

The use of cauterisation to keep the joint from dislocating again is quite jarring. This is in the case of repeated dislocations. Hippocrates in one place rails against one location of cauterisation. He instead suggests the opposite because of the direction of the dislocation. These days while I know we do not do cauterisation but I do not know what we would do instead. I have known soccer players whose knee goes out easily. They were so used to it they just popped it back and kept going.

What others have to say about On the Articulations

"More than 2500 years ago Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) described in detail various methods for reducing shoulder dislocations, and reduction with the heel has become the most famous one." From Neurovascular complications due to the Hippocrates method for reducing anterior shoulder dislocations

Comparisons with other texts

This is an expansion of the work Instruments of reduction. Instruments of reduction lays out the basics of treating dislocations. Whereas this text takes us right through the process and possible outcomes. 

On the articulations also drifts into the area covered by Fractures. It does so by dealing with some broken bones. Fractures is a lot more complete on the subject whereas this text just uses a few cases as they relate to the joints.

Conclusion

On the Articulations is an in-depth look at the injuries of the joints. It takes the work Instruments of reduction and expands on it to give a complete look. It covers all the joints of the limbs as well as those of the spine. Some of these reductions are still the bases of how we fix dislocations today. That being said we are not as limited as Hippocrates was by what he could physically manage.

Have you read On the Articulations? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read On the Articulations but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of On the Articulations.