“It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has.”
Hippocrates
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Cure the disease and kill the patient.
Who said it?
Often credited to Francis Bacon, but the line does not appear in his Essays or other works.
Bacon's warning about winning the wrong battle. The measure of care is the person still standing at the end.
More misattributed quotes · How we verify quotes
From the collection: 17 Happy Doctors Day Wishes Quotes That Honor the People Who Heal Us
About this quote
Meaning
The quote means that a treatment can be so harsh or so narrowly focused that it defeats the purpose of healing, leaving the patient worse off even though the disease is gone. It warns against zeal that ignores the person being treated. The line is a short caution about the limits of aggressive cure.
Origin
The line is commonly credited to Francis Bacon, but it does not appear in his Essays or other works and is not documented as his. The exact source is unclear. Bacon was a major English writer and philosopher of the early modern period, and his name is often attached to memorable sayings, which may explain why this one was linked to him. Readers should regard the attribution as a popular assumption rather than a verified citation.
Why it resonates
The warning feels familiar to anyone who has seen a treatment that technically succeeded while the patient suffered badly. The quote invites reflection on balance, proportion, and the costs of intervention. It also helps families and clinicians ask whether a plan still serves the person it was meant to help. Its brevity makes it easy to remember, and its concern for the patient's survival as a whole person keeps it relevant in modern care.
Frequently asked questions
Who said "Cure the disease and kill the patient."?
Often credited to Francis Bacon, but the line does not appear in his Essays or other works.
What does "Cure the disease and kill the patient." mean?
The quote means that a treatment can be so harsh or so narrowly focused that it defeats the purpose of healing, leaving the patient worse off even though the disease is gone.
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