Climatic determinism in Hippocrates' Airs Waters Places

Airs, Waters, Places

A close reading of "Airs, Waters, Places" by Hippocrates will show that it was the first instance of climatic (environmental determinism. Climatic Determinism is based on the idea that the climate, the natural resources, and the land itself determine the nature of the habitants (which includes the physical nature, the cognitive ability, the moral compass, ethnical-being, intellectual being, etc.). Climate determines the physical nature and then the intellectual being of individuals living on the land, which in turn forms the culture of the group. It has greatly contributed to the development of the "Greek vs. Barbarian Antithesis" and the development of racism. However, how would culture affect the argument? Would the culture itself also influence the characteristics of the people on the land? We will examine these questions as well as how absolute the cultural determinism is in Hippocrates and whether or not is permeable, that is other races raised in the same place would develop in the same way.

Analysis

First, one must define cultural determinism. It can be defined as "the view that the physical environment, rather than social conditions, determines culture ("Sccs.swarthmore.edu")." Those who hold by this view say humans are strictly defined by the stimulus-response (environment-behavior) and cannot deviate, even for culture purposes (ibid.).

It is especially strict as expressed in Part XI of Hippocrates where the equinox, change of seasons or rise of certain constellations are seen to be bad times to give drugs. As Hippocrates says,

Whoever studies and observes these things may be able to foresee most of the effects which will result from the changes of the seasons; and one ought to be particularly guarded during the greatest changes of the seasons, and neither willingly give medicines, nor apply the cautery to the belly, nor make incisions there until ten or more days be past. Now, the greatest and most dangerous are the two solstices, and especially the summer, and also the two equinoxes, but especially the autumnal. One ought also to be guarded about the rising of the stars, especially of the Dogstar, then of Arcturus, and then the setting of the Pleiades; for diseases are especially apt to prove critical in those days, and some prove fatal, some pass off, and all others change to another form and another constitution. So it is with regard to them (Adams).