Hippocratic Oath for Physicians
All physicians must first take the Hippocratic Oath before beginning on their path of medicine and healing. The oath is thousands of years old and represents the key elements of the physician's beliefs and ideals toward his patients and medicine in general. This ancient oath is still practiced all over the world today, and represents man kind's long and arduous attempt to master healing and medicine. The beginning of the physician's oath opens with an invocation of Greek gods and goddesses, most noteworthy Apollo and Asclepius. In this way, the physician taking the oath is swearing by his most scared beliefs to fulfill his duty. If he were to ever break his oath, that would be blasphemous, he would be breaking his promise to the gods. This oath originated in ancient Greece and therefore still has ties to ancient Greek customs and beliefs. Apollo was one of the major Olympian gods who presided over human affairs. Asclepius was the demigod of m
This beginning passage of the oath also proves significant for it shows how much power the physician actually carries within his hands. A student must trust his teacher with the same amount of trust a child must trust his parents. This analogy is also justifiable in the idea of the trust between a child and his parents. His daughter, Hygeia was the goddess of health and cleanliness. The ancient physician would have revered these deities due to his connection to the things they governed. Without this valuable trust, the secrets of medicine would be lost in only a few generations. Furthermore, the oath does not mention conduct between a physician and a terminally ill patient, which leaves open the possibility of more radical measures in the face of death. This is entirely justifiable, for they teach life lessons which ensure both the success of their students and the benefit of their patients. The oath proposes the selfless attitude a physician must have for the welfare for his patients. Deadly drugs and "abortive remedies" are not to be administered or even suggested by any physician in order to protect the patient from any self harm that patient might intentionally or unintentionally want to inflict on their own person. Each physician must swear not to willfully do harm to any patient, even if this service is implicitly requested by the patient. He must always act for the benefit of the sick, and never for his own; but also adhere to higher moral values which would protect him from any claims of negligence. He carries a gift from the gods, and this oath ensures that he will use that gift for the good of all man kind, rather than for selfish or immoral reasons.
Common topics in this essay:
Apollo Asclepius,
Hippocratic Oath,
medicine healing,
,
secrets medicine,
trust child,
harm patient,
gods oath,
life lessons,
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