In The Past:
In Our Time:
In The Future:
The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest oaths that is still used nowadays. It was originally used for ethical practice of medicine. It is believed that it was made by Hippocrates or one of his students, in our around the 4th century before Christ. It was originally written in Old Greek, as Hippocrates was a Greek healer.
Nowadays, the oath has quite changed. The social, religious and political meaning of the oath has changed. The original version didn’t allow abortion, euthanasia and other medication that is used in this time.
The modern version that’s widely used nowadays was made by dr. Louis Lasagna in the 1970’s, trying to legalize abortion.
In the daily life of physicians, the Hippocratic Oath is still used.
Here are six examples:
Physicians are never allowed to prescribe their patients a drug that might kill them.
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Physicians are never allowed to reveal any information of their patients.
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Physicians must do all they can to save a patient’s life.
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Physicians are never allowed to have sexual relations with their patients.
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Physicians are never allowed to misuse their medical knowledge.
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Physicians must inform their patients about their treatments.
The original Hippocratic Oath:
“I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfil according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:
To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art - if they desire to learn it - without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.
I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.
I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.
I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favour of such men as are engaged in this work.
Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.
What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.
If I fulfil this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honoured with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.”
[Christel]
Picture: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/category/medicalbioethical-issues/