Modern vs. Hippocratic Oath

doctor takes an oath that he or she will do everything in their power to keep a patient alive. But

17. Pellegrino argues for a three-tiered system of obligations incumbent upon physicians. They are in ascending order of ethical sensitivity.

After ensuring the preservation of medicinal practices and knowledge, the consequences of it are realized through guiding ideas. The Hippocratic Oath affirms, “I will keep [my patients] from harm and injustice.” Doctors swear by contributing to the wellbeing of patients, ignoring the various personal effects of ego, sexual interest and human tendency to gossip. Doctors must be able to admit to inability in order to make sound judgements. This would mean diagnosis to the best of their ability, and nothing beyond their ability: “I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment" (Hippocrates). The oath calls on doctors not to abuse their societal power or fall prey to their desires: “I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations" (Hippocrates). The oath further protects the patient’s emotional wellbeing by restricting the doctor from disclosing details surrounding the patient’s physical condition. The oath makes clear, “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" (Hippocrates). With the words “In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art"

Elite groups and associations have developed creeds or oaths throughout history. Doctors, lawyers, Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, and knights all aspire to hold to their directives. These oaths outline a set of values, and a code of conduct by which the group’s initiates are expected to hold. The oaths taken by these warrior classes are important for trust between members that, in grave circumstances, a behavior in accordance with high standards is to be expected. On a different professional level, a lawyer’s or doctor’s oath is to the people they serve. These oaths serve to instill confidence in the professional-to-patient relationship by establishing a standard of professional accountability within their respective fields. The Hippocratic Oath is purported to be a foundation for ethics and the practice of medicine. Though it exists in different versions, depending on the institution, the general themes and function remain the same (Markel). Any oath taken is meant to elevate the level of expectations for services rendered. In practice, however, especially in cases of medical oaths, it appears that the oaths are ceremonial and apparently obsolete. A survey conducted in 2012 noted that very few physicians had better than a rudimentary knowledge of the content of The Hippocratic Oath (Jhala and Jhala 279). If the Hippocratic Oath or any oath is intended to be the moral and ethical compass for physicians, it should be taken with an enforceable level of accountability and

Included in the Hippocratic Oath, the Declaration of Geneva, and the American Medical Association’s articulations of the responsibilities of a physician, include the phrases “free from harm”, “health of the patient first consideration” and “obligation to relieve pain and suffering”.

The prohibition against killing patients stands as the first promise of self-restraint sworn to in the Hippocratic Oath, as medicine's primary interdict: 'I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect' In renouncing the giving of lethal drugs when asked for it, the Hippocratic physician rejects the view that the patient's choice for death can make killing him right.

In 5th century BCE, a Greek philosopher named Hippocrates wrote the phrase “I will not give a drug that is deadly to anyone if asked [for it], nor will suggest the ways to such a counsel”(Miles, 2004). This passage is apart of a written document that is now known as the Hippocratic Oath (Appendix A). The philosophers of ancient Greece were aware of the medical predicaments that a physician would ultimately face while practicing medicine. Today, the oath has become an ethical code for the physicians to uphold and apply in their profession. Why is this phrase important enough to be included in this document? Some view this passage as the code that prohibits physicians from lending their abilities for the executions of prisoners. Others

So long as I maintain this Oath faithfully and without corruption, may it be granted to me to partake of life fully and the practice of my art, gaining the respect of all men for all time. However, should I transgress this Oath and violate it, may the opposite be my fate. This is a fragment of a vow known as the Hippocratic oath, which doctors take on when they are about to become physicians. This oath serves not only as a guideline of what is expected of them but also sets up a sort of boundary for the actions regarding their patients. This oath furthermore impedes doctors from having inhumane treatment or even attempt in most instances actions that benefit their own agenda instead of their patients. Of course this in itself is a

Even in modern medicine today, his code of conduct is used and greatly widened to more than the six rules he created. His contribution to the medical world has been the stable structure for the AMA to build on and work with more and more today. Hippocrates and his work has helped shape modern medicine today and set them up for success. The oath left many moral rules to be followed and has been carried over to the AMA to this day. According to Fabrice Jotterland, "The Hippocratic Oath and the Ethics of Medicine, are employed as heuristics, so as to throw into better light the extent to which the Hippocratic Oath, tradition, and ethics can provide guidance and direction, as well as to show the nessecity of taking seriously the need for a substantive philosphy of medicine.

The Hippocratic Oath is extremely important because doctors today still use it every day in hospitals

In general, contemporary physicians are primarily trained to be competent in the field of medicine, from diagnosing their patients to prescribing therapy. Yet, they are not heavily taught medical ethics during their schooling: how should physicians conduct themselves around their patients? Nevertheless, medical traditions in China and Greece were thoroughly concerned about this question, which led to several of texts. In particular, the Greek developed an oath, known as the Hippocratic Oath, which were historically taken by physicians to essentially do no harm, while a Tang physician, Sun Simiao, wrote a text, “On the absolute sincerity of great physicians” that explained how physicians should behave around their patients. These two texts share a few comparable ideas on medical ethics, including compassion and competency. They also have dissimilarities since the Hippocratic Oath incorporated religion to medical ethics while the Sun Simiao incorporated philosophical principles, such as Confucian and Buddhist principles, to medical ethics.

Hippocratic’s oath described the basic ethics of medical practice. Both the modern and original Hippocratic oaths make It clear that doctors should act in the best interest of their patients and ensure medical confidentiality. The original oath requires physicians to swear by several gods of Greek medicine including Apollo. The modern version, on the other hand, credits scientific gains. I think the problem with the original Hippocratic oath is that medicine is constantly changing along with people’s values and beliefs. After comparing the original and modern oath I think it was necessary to revise the oath. Despite the different versions of the oath the core values have remained the same. The modern oath still has the same values as the original,

My initial reaction while reading both the ancient and modern Hippocratic oaths was ‘Is this really necessary?’ The Hippocratic oath in my opinion states knowledge, which all doctors must abide by as a human. It seems redundant for there to be a document expressing moral principles that are taught to most. In the documentary Doctors’ Diaries it shows an instructor explaining that the greatest thing they can do as doctors is to “Do no harm.” However, as I continued to read the articles provided it made sense to have the Hippocratic and other such oaths as a barometer for doctors. Although all doctors may not follow the oaths, they provide structure for doctors of all specialties and can always revisit for guidance within their practice. The oaths are moral compasses, and comparable to other oaths different professions such as lawyers and the president would take.

I think that the Hippocratic Oath, like many other important writings (The Constitution, Bible, etc) can be interpreted on many different levels. In the most literal sense, “Do no harm” means that the person who takes the oath should not harm anything. This harm includes any type of pain physically, mentally, or emotionally. To me, “do no harm” can be interpreted to mean even more than the literal sense. The Oath also means that we should prevent others from harm. If there is a situation in which the oath taker can improve upon another’s state of being, then it is our responsibility to intervene if help is wanted. An example of this is (. Zambia or while volunteering at WVWC? Or saw mom do?) In medicine this means that we should not only work

The Hippocratic oath is a oath in which prospective doctors make to ensure they will do the best they can possibly do to heal the patient in their presence. Once a doctor makes a pledge they must abide by it and not to anything to break that bond and trust between physical and patient. When a patient enters the room and the doctor comes in, he should feel as if he is in the safest place and in good hands. There should be no doubt in the patients mind that he could be harmed in any way. In today's society, the oath has been modified in many ways. Taking a quick glance, one may notice that the old one states, "Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion," which would never work in the current generation. (Association of American Physicians