One often hears about medical graduates having to swear the "Hippocratic
Oath". For those who may be interested, here is a transcript of his renowned
oath, as well as that of another prominent philosopher/ physician, Moses
Maimonides, together with some history of these remarkable thinkers and
healers.
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THE OATH OF HIPPOCRATES
<http://www.medword.com/hippocrates.html>
I SWEAR by Apollo the physician and AEsculapius, and Health, and All-heal,
and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgement,
I will keep this Oath and this stipulation-- to reckon him who taught me this
Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and
relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same
footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to
learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every
other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own
sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and
oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others.
I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and
judgement, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from
whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to
any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not
give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness
I will pass my life and practice my Art.
I will not cut persons labouring under the stone, but will leave this to be
done by men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter,
I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every
voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further, from the seduction of
females or males, of freemen and slaves.
Whatever, in connection with my professional service, or not in connection
with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of
abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret.
While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to
enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men,in all times.
But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot.
THE LAW OF HIPPOCRATES
Medicine is of all the arts the most noble; but, owing to the ignorance of
those who practice it, and of those who, inconsiderately, form a judgment of
them, it is at present far behind all the other arts. Their mistake appears
to me to arise principally from this, that in the cities there is no
punishment connected with the practice of medicine (and with it alone) except
disgrace, and that does not hurt those who are familiar with it. Such persons
are the figures which are introduced in tragedies, for as they have the
shape, and dress, and personal appearance of an actor, but are not actors, so
also physicians are many in title but very few in reality.
Whoever is to acquire a competent knowledge of medicine, ought to be
possessed of the following advantages: a natural disposition; instruction; a
favorable position for the study; early tuition; love of labour; leisure.
First of all, a natural talent is required; for, when Nature leads the way to
what is most excellent, instruction in the art takes place, which the student
must try to appropriate to himself by reflection, becoming an early pupil in
a place well adapted for instruction. He must also bring to the task a love
of labour and perseverance, so that the instruction taking root may bring
forth proper and abundant fruits. Instruction in medicine is like the culture
of the productions of the earth.
For our natural disposition, is, as it were, the soil; the tenets of our
teacher are, as it were, the seed; instruction in youth is like the planting
of the seed in the ground at the properseason; the place where the
instruction is communicated is like the food imparted to vegetables by the
atmosphere; diligent study is like the cultivation of the fields; and it is
time which imparts strength to all things and brings them to maturity.
Having brought all these requisites to the study of medicine, and having
acquired a true knowledge of it, we shall thus, in travelling through the
cities, be esteemed physicians not only in name but in reality. But
inexperience is a bad treasure, and a bad fund to those who possess it,
whether in opinion or reality, being devoid of self-reliance and
contentedness, and the nurse both of timidity and audacity. For timidity
betrays a want of powers, and audacity a lack of skill. They are, indeed, two
things, knowledge and opinion, of which the one makes its possessor really to
know, the other to be ignorant.
Those things which are sacred, are to be imparted only to sacred persons; and
it is not lawful to impart them to the profane until they have been initiated
into the mysteries of the science.
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SOME BIOGRAPHY OF HIPPOCRATES
<http://www.medword.com/hippocrates.html>
HIPPOCRATES, the celebrated Greek physician, was a contemporary of the
historian Herodotus. He was born in the island of Cos between 470 and 460 BC,
and belonged to the family that claimed descent from the mythical
AEsculapius, son of Apollo. There was already a long medical tradition in
Greece before his day, and this he is supposed to have inherited chiefly
through his predecessor Herodicus; and he enlarged his education by extensive
travel. He is said, though the evidence is unsatisfactory, to have taken part
in the efforts to check the great plague which devastated Athens at the
beginning of the Peloponnesian war. He died at Larissa between 380 and 360
B.C. The works attributed to Hippocrates are the earliest extant Greek
medical writings, but very many of them are certainly not his. Some five or
six, however, are generally granted to be genuine, and among these is the
famous "Oath."
This interesting document shows that in his time physicians were already
organized into a corporation or guild, with regulations for the training of
disciples, and with an esprit de corps and a professional ideal which, with
slight exceptions, can hardly yet be regarded as out of date. One saying
occurring in the words of Hippocrates has achieved universal currency, though
few who quote it to-day are aware that it originally referred to the art of
the physician.
It is the first of his "Aphorisms": "Life is short, and the Art long; the
occasion fleeting; experience fallacious, and judgment difficult. The
physician must not only be prepared to do what is right himself, but also to
make the patient, the attendants, and externals cooperate."
SOME MORE BIOGRAPHY
<http://allsands.com/Science/hippocratesbiog_rtb_gn.htm>
Hippocrates was a very educated man and he was a pioneer in shifting the
medical view of the world.
Hippocrates was a key component in the movement to rid Ancient Greece of
medical beliefs, which revolved heavily around the religious beliefs of the
time. Demonic possession or evil spirits were seen as the main reason for an
illness. The “doctors” would try to rid the patient of the demon causing the
illness. Hippocrates shifted the cause of illness to a mostly scientific
cause. Hippocrates had acquired immense knowledge of natural sciences
including chemistry, physics, and biology."
Under his influence, the shackles of mysticism, which had bound medicine for
so long, were at last cast off.
With Hippocrates medicine entered the age of Reason based upon observation
and for the first time it acknowledged the unknown.
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CRITIQUE AND MODIFICATION OF THIS OATH
<http://www.imagerynet.com/hippo.ama.html>
<...Our own research on the Hippocratic Oath, inspired by the discovery that
our posting of the Modern Oath did not originate from the AMA, has been most
interesting. While it is common knowledge among both doctors and the lay
public that doctors take an oath that says, "Never do harm," the fact is
that not all medical
schools require their graduating doctors take the Hippocratic Oath. In
addition, Medicine's use of the Oath changes over time. Here are some items
for your consideration, .....>
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THE OATH OF MAIMONIDES
This is the Medical Oath wriiten by Moses Maimonides (alos known as Rambam),
the great and extremely prolific Jewish teacher, philosopher, physician who
lived some 1500 years after Hippocrates.
http://www.softcode.com/oath_mos.html
The eternal providence has appointed me to watch over the life and health of
Thy creatures. May the love for my art actuate me at all time; may neither
avarice nor miserliness, nor thirst for glory or for a great reputation
engage my mind; for the enemies of truth and philanthropy could easily
deceive me and make me forgetful of my lofty aim of doing good to Thy
children.
May I never see in the patient anything but a fellow creature in pain.
Grant me the strength, time and opportunity always to correct what I have
acquired, always to extend its domain; for knowledge is immense and the
spirit of man can extend indefinitely to enrich itself daily with new
requirements.
Today he can discover his errors of yesterday and tomorrow he can obtain a
new light on what he thinks himself sure of today. Oh, God, Thou has
appointed me to watch over the life and death of Thy creatures; here am I
ready for my vocation and now I turn unto my calling.
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SOME BIOGRAPHY OF MAIMONIDES
<http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/Maimonides.html>
Maimonides/Rambam (1135-1204)
If one did not know that Maimonides was the name of a man, Abraham Joshua
Heschel wrote, one would assume it was the name of a university. The writings
and achievements of this 12th century Jewish sage seem to cover an impossibly
large number of activities.
Maimonides was the first person to write a systematic code of all Jewish law,
the Mishneh Torah; he produced one of the great philosophic statements of
Judaism, The Guide to the Perplexed; published a commentary on the entire
Mishna; served as physician to the sultan of Egypt; wrote numerous books on
medicine; and, in his "spare time," served as leader of Cairo's Jewish
community. It is hardly surprising that when Shmuel ibn Tibbon, the Hebrew
translator of The Guide to the Perplexed (which had been written in Arabic),
wrote Maimonides that he wished to visit him to discuss some difficult points
in the translation, Maimonides discouraged him from coming: ..........
Maimonides's full name was Moses ben Maimon (where "ben" means "son of"); in
Hebrew he is known by the acronym of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, Rambam. He was
born in Spain shortly before the fanatical Muslim Almohades came to power
there. To avoid persecution by the Muslim sect - which was wont to offer Jews
and Christians the choice of conversion to Islam or death - Maimonides fled
with his family, first to Morocco, later to Israel, and finally to Egypt. He
apparently hoped to continue his studies for several years more, but when his
brother David, a jewelry merchant, perished in the Indian Ocean with much of
the family's fortune, he had to begin earning money. He probably started
practicing medicine at this time.
Maimonides's major contribution to Jewish life remains the 'Mishneh Torah',
his code of Jewish law. His intention was to compose a book that would guide
Jews on how to behave in all situations just by reading the Torah and his
code, without having to expend large amounts of time searching through the
Talmud. Needless to say, this provocative rationale did not endear Maimonides
to many traditional Jews, who feared that people would rely on his code and
no longer study the Talmud. Despite sometimes intense opposition, the Mishneh
Torah became a standard guide to Jewish practice: It later served as the
model for the 'Shulkhan Arukh', the 16th century code of Jewish law that is
still regarded as authoritative by Orthodox Jews........
Maimonides was one of the few Jewish thinkers whose teachings also influenced
the non–Jewish world; much of his philosophical writings in the Guide were
about God and other theological issues of general, not exclusively Jewish,
interest. Thomas Aquinas refers in his writings to "Rabbi Moses," and shows
considerable familiarity with the Guide.
In 1985, on the 850th anniversary of Maimonides's birth, Pakistan and Cuba -
which do not recognize Israel -were among the co-sponsors of a UNESCO
conference in Paris on Maimonides. Vitali Naumkin, a Soviet scholar, observed
on this occasion: "Maimonides is perhaps the only philosopher in the Middle
Ages, perhaps even now, who symbolizes a confluence of four cultures:
Greco–Roman, Arab, Jewish, and Western."
More remarkably, Abderrahmane Badawi, a Muslim professor from Kuwait
University, declared: "I regard him first and foremost as an Arab thinker."
This sentiment was echoed by Saudi Arabian professor Huseyin Atay, who
claimed that "if you didn't know he was Jewish, you might easily make the
mistake of saying that a Muslim was writing." That is, if you didn't read any
of his Jewish writings.
Maimonides scholar, Shlomo Pines, delivered perhaps the most accurate
assessment at the conference: "Maimonides is the most influential Jewish
thinker of the Middle Ages, and quite possibly of all time" ('Time' magazine,
December 23, 1985). As a popular Jewish expression of the Middle Ages
declares: "From Moses [of the Torah] to Moses [Maimonides] there was none
like Moses."
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Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/
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