Restatement of the
Hippocratic Oath 1995
I SWEAR in the presence of the Almighty and before my family, my
teachers and my peers that according to my ability and judgment I will
keep this Oath and Stipulation:
TO RECKON all who have taught me this art equally dear to me as my
parents and in the same spirit and dedication to impart a knowledge of
the art of medicine to others. I will continue with diligence to keep
abreast of advances in medicine. I will treat without exception all who
seek my ministrations, so long as the treatment of others is not
compromised thereby, and I will seek the counsel of particularly
skilled physicians where indicated for the benefit of my patient.
I WILL FOLLOW that method of treatment which according to my ability
and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patient and abstain from
whatever is harmful or mischievous. I will neither prescribe nor
administer a lethal dose of medicine to any patient even if asked nor
counsel any such thing nor perform act or omission with direct intent
deliberately to end a human life. I will maintain the utmost respect
for every human
life from fertilization to natural death and reject abortion that
deliberately takes a unique human life.
WITH PURITY, HOLINESS AND BENEFICENCE I will pass my life and
practice my art. Except for the prudent correction of an imminent
danger, I will neither treat any patient nor carry out any research on
any human being without the valid informed consent of the subject or
the appropriate legal protector thereof, understanding that research
must have as its purpose the furtherance of the health of that
individual. Into whatever patient setting I enter, I will go for the
benefit of the sick and will abstain from every voluntary act of
mischief or corruption and further from the seduction of any patient.
WHATEVER IN CONNECTION with my professional practice or not in
connection with it I may see or hear in the lives of my patients which
ought not be spoken abroad I will not divulge, 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 and science of medicine
with the blessing of the Almighty and respected by my peers and
society, but should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse
be my lot.
Adapted and endorsed by 35 inter-faith ethicists and physicians.
Copyright, 1995, Value of Life Committee, Inc., P.O. Box 35279; Brighton, MA 02135.
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Hippocratic Oath 2009
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In
the presence of the Almighty, I promise to keep this Oath to the best of my
ability and judgment.
Those
who have taught me the art of medicine I will respect, and will seek to
faithfully impart my knowledge to those who also accept this covenant, and to
whom I am a mentor.
I
will always seek the healing and comfort of those who are sick according to my
ability and medical judgment, protecting them from harm and injustice.
I
will not help a patient commit suicide; neither will I help a woman obtain an
abortion.
In
purity and holiness, I will guard my professional moral integrity.
When
indicated, I will seek the counsel of those with appropriate special skills for
the benefit of my patient.
I
will always act for the benefit of the sick, treating them with respect and dignity,
and avoiding all sexual involvement with my patients.
Whatever
I may see or hear about my patients, I will hold in strict confidence.
May I be found faithful to these promises and
so enjoy life and the practice of the art of medicine at all times
The Oath of a Muslim Physician
Praise be to Allah (God), the Teacher, the Unique, Majesty of
the heavens, the Exalted, the Glorious, Glory be to Him, the Eternal Being Who
created the Universe and all the creatures within, and the only Being Who
contained the infinity and the eternity. We serve no other god besides Thee and
regard idolatry as an abominable injustice.
Give us the strength to be truthful, honest, modest, merciful and objective.
Give us the fortitude to admit our mistakes, to amend our ways & to forgive
the wrongs of others.
Give us the wisdom to comfort & counsel all towards peace & harmony.
Give us the understanding that ours is a profession sacred that deals with your
most precious gifts of life and intellect.
Therefore, make us worthy of this favoured station with honor,
dignity and piety so that we may devote our lives in serving mankind, poor or
rich, literate or illiterate, Muslim or non-Muslim, black or white with patience
and tolerance with virtue and reverence, with knowledge and vigilance, with Thy
love in our hearts and compassion for Thy servants, Thy most precious creation.
Hereby we take this oath in Thy name, the Creator of all the
Heavens and the earth and follow Thy counsel as Thou has revealed to Prophet
Mohammad.
"Whoever killeth a human being, not in lieu of another
human being nor because of mischief on earth, it is as if he hath killed all
mankind. And if he saveth a human life, he hath saved the life of all
mankind." (Qur'an V/35)
This
medical oath which is a composite from the historical and contemporary writings
of physicians of Islamic World, was officially adopted by Islamic Medical
Association in 1977.
.
A Quote from http://pneuro.com/publications/oaths
Translated by Harry Friedenwald, Bulletin
of the Johns Hopkins Hospital 28:
260-261, (1917).
MOSES MAIMONIDES (1135/38-1204) was the most
important Jewish philosopher of the Middle Ages. Maimonides was born in the
Spanish city of Cordoba at a time when about one-fifth of the people in
southern Spain were Jews. Maimonides and his family fled to Fustat (now
Cairo) because of rising anti-Semitism in Spain. There Maimonides worked as a
physician, a scholar of Jewish law and a philosopher.
Among
other works, Maimonides wrote The Guide of the Perplexed, a treatment of philosophical issues. His attempts
to synthesize Jewish revelation and Aristotelean philosophy influenced the
ideas of many Christian thinkers including St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas
Aquinas. He was physician to the Sultan Saladin and a leader of
Egyptian Jewry, an important figure in the codification of Jewish
law. In his later years Maimonides became famous throughout Europe. England's
King Richard asked him to be his
Royal Physician but Maimonides declined.
The Oath of Maimonides
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.
The Prayer of Maimonides
The
"Daily Prayer Of A Physician" is attributed to Maimonides, but was
probably written by Marcus Herz, a German physician, pupil of Immanual Kant,
and physician to Moses Mendelssohn. It first appeared in print in about 1793.
Almighty God, Thou has created the human body with
infinite wisdom. Ten thousand times ten thousand organs hast Thou combined in
it that act unceasingly and harmoniously to preserve the whole in all its
beauty, the body which is the envelope of the immortal soul. They are ever
acting in perfect order, agreement and accord. Yet, when the frailty of matter
or the unbridling of passions deranges this order or interrupts this accord, then
forces clash and the body crumbles into the primal dust from which it came.
Thou sendest to man diseases as beneficent messengers to foretell approaching
danger and to urge him to avert it.
Thou has blest Thine earth, Thy rivers and Thy mountains
with healing substances; they enable Thy creatures to alleviate their
sufferings and to heal their illnesses. Thou hast endowed man with the wisdom
to relieve the suffering of his brother, to recognize his disorders, to extract
the healing substances, to discover their powers and to prepare and to apply
them to suit every ill. In Thine Eternal Providence Thou hast chosen me to
watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. I am now about to apply myself
to the duties of my profession. Support me, Almighty God, in these great labors
that they may benefit mankind, for without Thy help not even the least thing
will succeed.
Inspire me with love for my art and for Thy creatures. Do
not allow thirst for profit, ambition for renown and admiration, to interfere
with my profession, for these are the enemies of truth and of love for mankind
and they can lead astray in the great task of attending to the welfare of Thy
creatures. Preserve the strength of my body and of my soul that they ever be
ready to cheerfully help and support rich and poor, good and bad, enemy as well
as friend. In the sufferer let me see only the human being. Illumine my mind
that it recognize what presents itself and that it may comprehend what is
absent or hidden. Let it not fail to see what is visible, but do not permit it
to arrogate to itself the power to see what cannot be seen, for delicate and
indefinite are the bounds of the great art of caring for the lives and health
of Thy creatures. Let me never be absent-minded. May no strange thoughts divert
my attention at the bedside of the sick, or disturb my mind in its silent
labors, for great and sacred are the thoughtful deliberations required to
preserve the lives and health of Thy creatures.
Grant that my patients have confidence in me and my art and
follow my directions and my counsel. Remove from their midst all charlatans and
the whole host of of ficious relatives and know-all nurses, cruel people who
arrogantly frustrate the wisest purposes of our art and often lead Thy
creatures to their death.
Should those who are wiser
than I wish to improve and instruct me, let my soul gratefully follow their
guidance; for vast is the extent of our art. Should conceited fools, however,
censure me, then let love for my profession steel me against them, so that I
remain steadfast without regard for age, for reputation, or for honor, because
surrender would bring to Thy creatures sickness and death.
Imbue my soul with gentleness and calmness when older
colleagues, proud of their age, wish to displace me or to scorn me or
disdainfully to teach me. May even this be of advantage to me, for they know
many things of which I am ignorant, but let not their arrogance give me pain.
For they are old and old age is not master of the passions. I also hope to
attain old age upon this earth, before Thee, Almighty God!
Let me be contented in
everything except in the great science of my profession. Never allow the
thought to arise in me that I have attained to sufficient knowledge, but
vouchsafe to me the strength, the leisure and the ambition ever to extend my
knowledge. For art is great, but the mind of man is ever expanding.
Almighty God! Thou hast chosen me in Thy mercy to watch over
the life and death of Thy creatures. I now apply myself to my profession.
Support me in this great task so that it may benefit mankind, for without Thy
help not even the least thing will succeed."
Thomas Sydenham
"I believe that the moral element of a liberal
and candid spirit went hand in hand with the intellectual qualifications of
observation, analysis and comparison".
R.G. Latham on Thomas Sydenham
IT BECOMES EVERY MAN WHO PURPOSES
to give himself to the care of others,
seriously to consider the four following things:
First,
that he must one day give an account
to the Supreme Judge of all the lives
entrusted to his care.
Secondly, that all his skill, and knowledge, and energy,
as they have been given him by God,
so they should be exercised for his
glory,
and the good of mankind,
and not for mere gain or ambition.
Thirdly,
and not more beautifully than truly,
let him reflect that he has undertaken
the care of no mean creature,
for, in order that he may estimate the
value,
the greatness of the human race,
the only begotten Son of God became himself a man,
and thus ennobled it with his divine
dignity,
and far more than this, died to redeem it.
And fourthly, that the doctor
being himself a mortal man, should be
diligent and tender
in relieving his suffering patients,
inasmuch as he himself must one day be
a like sufferer.
— Thomas Sydenham, 1668 Medical Observations Concerning the History and Cure
of Acute Diseases, 1668
PRAYER
of THOMAS
AQUINAS
Almighty God,
Give me a deep curiosity about all your creation.
Move me to search and question.
Give me insight and understanding,
A retentive memory
And the patience to ponder and reflect.
May I not stop short with
knowledge,
But proceed with the understanding of the heart:
Wisdom to view the world with the eyes of faith:
Point out the beginning,
Direct the progress,
Help the completion.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thomas Aquinas, 13h Century
