Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Tree of Hippocrates

Platanus Orientalis

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, June 30, 2014

1. Tree of Hippocrates Marker

Inscription. From the Greek Island of Cos, Hippocrates is said to have held classes under the parent tree. The gift Tree was presented by the town of Cos to the National Library of Medicine at the dedication of its new building on December 14, 1961.

This Replacement Tree, Cloned
From the Gift Tree, Was Planted on
April 25, 2014

Erected 2014.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Historic Trees series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1910.

Location. 39° 0.198′ N, 77° 6.245′ W. Marker is in Bethesda, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from Center Drive, 0.3 miles east of Convent Drive, on the right when traveling east. Marker is in front of the NIH Clinical Center, Building 10, on Center Drive on the National Institutes of Health campus. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bethesda MD 20814, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sky Horizon (within shouting distance of this marker); At This Location (within shouting distance of this marker); Claude Denson Pepper Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the NIH Bethesda campus on this site, October 31, 1940

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); The Paul G. Rogers Plaza (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Mary Woodard Lasker Center for Health Research and Education (approx. ¼ mile away); The Centennial Anchor (approx. ¼ mile away); The Louis Stokes Laboratories (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bethesda.

More about this marker. "There is actually a second Tree of Hippocrates at NIH, in addition to the one dedicated on Apr. 25 in front of the National Library of Medicine. The second clone [...] shrouded in a 20-gallon bag of water, which slowly nourishes the roots, is planted in front of the Clinical Research Center. Like its sibling, it has a dedicatory plaque and the same mission to remind caregivers: “First, do no harm.” Savvy NIH’ers will recognize that the volcanic stone on which the plaque is embedded is the same one that sat for years on Center Dr., marking the original campus Tree of Hippocrates, which stood from 1961 to 2013." -- NIH Record, Vol. LXVI, No. 13, June 20, 2014

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, June 30, 2014

2. Tree of Hippocrates Marker

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, June 30, 2014

3. Tree of Hippocrates Marker

Tree of Hippocrates image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, June 30, 2014

4. Tree of Hippocrates

In front of the NIH Clinical Center

Leaf of the Tree of Hippocrates image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, June 30, 2014

5. Leaf of the Tree of Hippocrates

Hippocrates (c. 460 — c. 375 B.C. ) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, June 30, 2014

6. Hippocrates (c. 460 — c. 375 B.C. )

A Greek who is often called the "father of medicine:' he rejected the superstitious magic of primitive medicine and laid the foundations for medicine as a branch of science. Here he is shown writing the oath of professional behavior attributed to him, the Hippocratic Oath. -- NIH Handout. 1953 elevator door panel by Vincent Glinksy
In the Clinical Center

Credits. This page was last revised on September 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 1, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 432 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 1, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.