The Hippocratic Oath (Original Version)
I SWEAR by Apollo the physician, Aesculapius, and Health,
and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that,
according to my ability and judgment, 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 up 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 the law of medicine, but to none others.
I WILL FOLLOW that system of regimen which, according
to my ability and judgment, 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 a woman a pessary to
produce abortion.
WITH PURITY AND WITH preciousness I will pass my life and
practice my Art. I will not cut persons laboring 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 practice
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!
Hippocratic
Oaths compared
The Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment,
this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those
physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as
is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick,
all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment
and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and
that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh
the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not,"
nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another
are needed for a patient's recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their
problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially
must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given
me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to
take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced
with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I
must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth,
but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the
person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these
related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable
to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special
obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind
and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and
art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter.
May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling
and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna,
Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, and used
in many medical schools today.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath_modern.html
