In 1972, Hopkins wrote in your Journal about his trip to the island of Kos in Greece, where he had visited the tree of Hippocrates.1 According to the myth, this plane tree was planted in 500 BC by Hippocrates himself, who used to teach in the shade below the branches of the tree. The tree continues to grow and now, 40 years later, crowds over a Turkish fountain, which was built adjacent to it in the 18th century.2 As the field of medicine has grown over the years, so has the Tree of Hippocrates, and pillars had to be erected in order to support the growing branches.
The Hippocrates tree.
REFERENCES
- 1.Hopkins P. Hippocratic plane tree. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1972;22:403. [Google Scholar]
- 2.Sakula A. In search of Hippocrates: a visit to Kos. J Royal Soc Med. 1984;77(8):682–688. doi: 10.1177/014107688407700814. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]