Hippocratic face
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
The Hippocratic face (facies Hippocratica in Latin) is the change produced in the countenance by death [1] or long sickness, excessive evacuations, excessive hunger, and the like.
The nose is pinched, the eyes are sunken, the temples hollow, the ears cold and retracted, the skin of the forehead tense and dry, the complexion livid, the lips pendent, relaxed, and cold.
The Hippocratic face is so called because it was first described by Hippocrates.
A related term is cachexia.
Additional Resource
Additional Resource
Based on an entry in the public domain 1913 Webster Dictionary.
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