desperate times call for desperate measures

== English == === Etymology === This phrase likely originates with a saying of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, which appears in his Aphorisms: "For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable."[1]. A similar phrase occurs in Erasmus's Latin adage Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus (from his book Adagia (1500), which was first published in English in 1545).[2] Another similar Latin saying, "extremis malis extrema remedia," appears in print as early as 1596.[3] === Proverb === desperate times call for desperate measures In adverse circumstances, actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice. Synonyms: desperate times require desperate measures, drastic times call for drastic measures ==== Translations ==== === See also === necessity knows no law last-ditch last resort last gasp in extremis