Hippocrates was a very famous ancient Greek, and is known today as the "Father of Medicine".  Hippocrates was born on the island of Kos (Cos) several hundred years before the birth of Christ.  He practiced his chosen art of medicine in several cities throughout the ancient Greek world, and in Athens during it's Golden Age.  Take a look at the ancient Greek Phidias for information on Athens during this time period.  Hippocrates was finally laid to rest in the Greek city of Larissa in Thessaly.

Hippocrates believed that human disease had only natural causes.  The medicine which he practiced removed the treatment of disease from religion.  Until this time the treatment of illness had been tied to superstition and religion.  Even though he lived on an island where temples existed to the god Aesclepius, the god of healing, he never formed a connection with the priests that operated these temples, nor the temple hospitals the priests operated. 

The God Asclepius: God of Healing

By the removing of religion and superstition from medicine, Hippocrates turned medicine into a science as well as an art.  Before Hippocrates superstition and religion  clouded the minds of man.  In the medicine Hippocrates practiced he applied logic and reason to the treatment of  his patients.  The theories he developed could be summed up in The Corpus Hippocratium.  This collection of medical writings is the oldest surviving complete medical collection.  The Hippocratic oath he developed for those who were to practice medicine was based on loyalty, honor and virtue among other noble traits.  Throughout the world many medical schools still have their students take this oath. Take a look at: The oath of Hippocrates, "The Hippocratic Oath".

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Look at an Ancient Quote from Hippocrates which indicates the noble qualities which he possessed.