Why We Need More Open Source Medicines

Tracy Kolenchuk | Wake Up World | September 24, 2012

Two thousand five hundred years ago, Hippocrates said “Let food by thy medicine, and let medicine be your food.” The concept of “open source” had not been invented, but Hippocrates was talking about “open source medicines”.

Opensource.com’s blog by Bryan Behrenshausen says “Open source is like sharing a recipe.” I will apply his ‘loaf of bread’ metaphor to medicine to explain, using mostly, his exact words. I will use the word ‘food’ for ‘medicine’ in the way of Hippocrates.

Imagine that you have created something for your friends, a food, that can actually improve healthiness. By sharing this food with your friends, you not only give them something that sustains them, but also strengthens their health, and thus their relationships with each other and with you.