The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest medical oaths in the world.
July 1, the birthday and death anniversary of Dr. Vidhan Chandra Roy, former Chief Minister of West Bengal and a doctor by profession, is celebrated as Doctor’s Day. On this day, there is a tradition of honoring doctors for their contribution and remembering the contribution made by Dr. Vidhan Chandra Roy in the medical world. The Government of India has also honored him with Bharat Ratna. Come, let us know the complete story of the Hippocratic Oath on this Doctor’s Day. Why do doctors still take an oath that is two and a half thousand years old? What changes occurred in it over time?
The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest medical oaths in the world. It was made in Greece about two and a half thousand years ago. This is often remembered on Doctor’s Day. Hippocrates was a Greek doctor. He is called the father of modern medicine. His books and teachings became the source of ethical principles of medicine. Oath was named after him. In the original oath, doctors were told to put the well-being of the patient first. Will not intentionally harm any patient. Doctors will respect their guru. Will not give useless medicines to patients.
Why is it important even today?
Oath gives moral direction. This makes doctors accountable to the patient. They are helpful in law and management. But the aim of Oath is to bring about a change in mindset. This shows that medicine is not just science and technology. This is an important responsibility.
National Doctor’s Day is dedicated to Dr. Vidhan Chandra Rai.
Clash between old faith and modern medicine
Many parts of the original Oath do not correspond to today’s times. For example, some sentences depict a male-dominated society. Many oaths contained some restrictions on medicine or therapy. Modern science and human rights made it necessary to change these. The world also accepted the new changes. The Declaration of Geneva came in the 20th century. It was made by the World Medical Association in 1948. Its purpose was to learn from racism and medical abuse during wartime. In this, emphasis was laid on humanity and equality.
What are the main points of the modern oath?
The welfare of the patient will be paramount. There will be no discrimination of any kind. Doctors will continuously learn from their knowledge and skills. Will respect human rights. Oath is not a legal document. It gives moral direction. But court and medical rules are also important. Many times there appears to be a conflict between oath and law. This situation arises when the wishes of the patient and the demands of the family are seen to be different. Earlier family and economic promises have been removed in today’s oath. Now doctors do not take an oath to teach their guru’s sons for free or share their property with the guru. Now it is a professional relationship, not some old tribal or family bond. Now the right to education and medicine is equal for both men and women.
The oath states that The welfare of the patient will be paramount. There will be no discrimination of any kind. Photo: Pexels
Why did the Hippocratic Oath come under criticism?
The Hippocratic Oath has been criticized because it does not fully capture contemporary issues.The early Oath contained slavery and male-centric ideas. That is why the modified oath was adopted in many places. The early or original Hippocratic Oath was written about 2500 years ago. The Greek society of that time was very different from today’s modern democratic society.
What is the meaning of male-centric thoughts here?
In ancient Greece, medical profession and education were completely in the hands of men. The language of the Oath and its rules reflected this. In the original oath, the doctor promised that he would pass on the knowledge of medicine only to his sons, the sons of his guru and those disciples who had taken the oath. There was no mention of giving education to daughters. The entire wording of the oath was for men, because women were not allowed to become doctors at that time. Women often did not have the right to make independent decisions even as patients; their health-related decisions were taken by male family members.
Slavery, social discrimination and medical religion
At that time slavery was an accepted social system in Greece. Its effect was clearly visible in the original Oath. The oath stated that if a doctor visited any house he would do no harm to the people living there, but in practice there was a huge difference in the quality of treatment between free citizens and slaves. There is a line in the Oath: If I enter any house, I will not commit sexual immorality with the man or woman living there, whether they are free or slave. This sentence proves that sexual exploitation of slaves was a common problem in that period, which had to be specifically included in the oath to stop it. Slaves had no rights of their own, they were considered the property of their master. The doctor’s loyalty was often to his master rather than to the slave patient.
Why did changes occur over time?
Due to these discriminatory reasons, the original Hippocratic Oath has been changed in modern times. Now the oath of not discriminating on the basis of gender, caste, religion or social status (rich, poor or slave) has been clearly added to the doctors’ oath. Now the matter of imparting knowledge is not limited to sons only. Medical education is open to all. The Geneva Declaration of 1948 removed these old shortcomings and made it completely humanitarian and fair.
What was the real meaning of male dominated society?
In the original oath, the doctor made a very serious promise, which showed the strength of the male-dominated society of those times. The doctor used to take an oath that I would treat my guru like my father. He swore that if my guru ever needed money, I would share my wealth with him. The doctor promised that I would treat my guru’s sons like my brothers and if they wanted to learn medicine, I would teach them without any fee or written contract.
Where is male dominance seen here?
The oath clearly states that the Guru should teach his sons and not his daughters. This reflects the patriarchal structure of that time where knowledge and profession were inherited only by men. The promise to share property also reflects agreements between men, because women were not property owners in the legal system of that time.
Patient consent and autonomy
Today the patient’s wishes are given importance. These are called informed consent. This was not explicit in the original oath, but has become an important part of modern oaths. Some dilemmas also arise in modern times. Some ethical problems are new. Like abortion, end-of-life decisions, gene editing etc. There are different views among doctors on this. The oath does not give clear answers to these questions. But, it makes doctors considerate and accountable.
The basic meaning of the oath of Indian doctors
The oath that medical students in India take while becoming a doctor is now called the Charak oath. The doctor says that I pledge that I will dedicate my life to protect the health of sick persons. My main objective will be to free the patients from disease and provide them health. I will not treat patients just for money or profit. I will perform my medical service as a duty. While treating the patient, I will not discriminate on the basis of caste, religion, color or whether they are rich or poor. Whatever secret information I get about the patient’s family when I go to his home or during treatment, I will never tell anyone outside. I will always keep my conduct pure and clean. I will respect women. I will continue to increase my medical knowledge so that I can provide better treatment to patients. I would never intentionally harm a patient.
Simply put, the Hippocratic Oath has a long history. This was the first form of the ethical basis of medicine. With time it changed and conformed to modern norms. Even today it guides doctors ethically. It is important to remember this on Doctor’s Day. This tells us that medicine is not just science. This is also an act of humanity and service.
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