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The Hippocratic Oath

The Hippocratic Oath. Medical Foundations. The Hippocratic Oath. Perhaps the most enduring (certainly the most quoted) tradition in the history of medicine is the Hippocratic Oath.

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The Hippocratic Oath

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  1. The Hippocratic Oath Medical Foundations

  2. The Hippocratic Oath • Perhaps the most enduring (certainly the most quoted) tradition in the history of medicine is the Hippocratic Oath. • Named after the famous Greek physician Hippocrates, this oath was written as a guideline for the medical ethics of doctors. • Although the exact words have changed over time, the general content is the same - an oath to respect those who study the science of medicine, and respect to the patients as well as the promise to treat them to the best of the physicians' ability.

  3. Who was Hippocrates? • For a man considered by many to be the 'Father of Medicine', little is known about Hippocrates of Cos. • He lived circa 460-380 BC, and was a practicing physician. • Historians have suggested that Hippocrates might have been an Asclepiad, a member of a guild of physicians whose origins trace back to Asclepius, the god of healing.

  4. Hippocrates

  5. From Medical Ideal to Standard Ethics • By the late 17th Century, standards of professional behavior had been set in the Western World. • The first code of medical ethics to be adopted by a professional organization was written by English physician Thomas Percival (1740-1804) in 1794, which was adapted and adopted by the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1846. • This code of ethics, which provided a gold standard for professional physicians, dictated the moral authority and independence of physicians in service to others and their responsibility towards the sick, as well as the physician's individual honor.

  6. Modern Versions of The Hippocratic Oath • Many people argue that the original Hippocratic Oath is invalid in a society that has seen drastic socio-economic, political and moral changes in society since the time of Hippocrates. • This has led to the modification of the oath to something better suited for our times. • Four of the most widely used versions are the • Declaration of Geneva • the Prayer of Maimonides • the Oath of Lasagna • the Reinstatement of Hippocratic Oath

  7. What is your opinion? • What do you feel is the Hippocratic Oath's relevance today? • Is it pointless or an invaluable moral guide? • Should aspiring doctors still be made to take some version of the oath? • If you were a doctor, would you take the oath? Why? • Identify the following topics: physician-assisted suicide, abortion, patient confidentiality • With a partner: rewrite the Hippocratic Oath to reflect modern controversies and technology in medicine

  8. Hippocratic Oath oath noun \ōth\: a solemn, usually formal, calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says • The HOSA Creed creed noun \krēd\ a set of fundamental beliefs; also: a guiding principle • Declaration of Geneva declaration noun \de-klə-rā-shən\ the act of declaring, an announcement: a statement made by a party to a legal transaction usually not under oath • The Florence Nightingale Pledge pledge noun \plej\ a binding promise or agreement to do or forbear

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