Hippocrates — "Diseases which are advanced, and those which are of long standing, are difficult…"
Diseases which are advanced, and those which are of long standing, are difficult to cure.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Hippocrates
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health."
"Walking is man's best medicine."
"Everything in excess is opposed to nature."
"Extreme remedies are very appropriate for extreme diseases."
"Positive health requires a knowledge of man's primary constitution and of the powers of various foods, both those natural to them and those resulting from human skill. But eating alone is not enough f…"
Verification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
Conditions that have progressed far or persisted for a long time are much harder to treat than those caught early. The body becomes increasingly compromised over time, making recovery more difficult and less certain. Early intervention offers the best chance of cure, while delay allows disease to entrench itself deeply into the patient's system, complicating any therapeutic effort.
Relevance to Hippocrates
Hippocrates built clinical medicine on careful observation rather than superstition. He documented disease progressions systematically, noting how patients fared differently depending on when treatment began. This principle reflects his empirical approach: he watched enough patients to recognize that timing determined outcomes, making early diagnosis a cornerstone of the rational medical practice he pioneered.
The era
In ancient Greece, physicians had no antibiotics, no surgery beyond basic procedures, and limited pharmacology. Once infections spread or chronic conditions advanced, healers had almost no tools to reverse them. This observation emerged from practical helplessness against late-stage disease, making prevention and early treatment the only realistic medical strategy available to practitioners of the era.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].