The Hippocratic bench or scamnum was a device invented by Hippocrates (c. 460 BC - 380 BC) which used tension to aid in setting bones. The patient would lie on a bench, at an adjustable angle, and ropes would be tied around his arms, waist, legs or feet, depending on the treatment needed. Winches would then be used to pull the ropes apart, correcting curvature in the spine or separating an overlapping fracture. The bench is a forerunner of the traction devices used in modern orthopedics, as well as of the rack, an instrument of torture. Oil painting by H. M. Hayman, 1923.