Hippocratic Oath

The Hippocratic Oath is an ancient Greek pledge associated with medical practice, ethical duties, and the relationship between physicians and patients. Its surviving versions have been adapted for modern medical use.

Medical ethics: The study and practice of moral principles governing medicine and health care. The oath is an enduring historical source for debates about physicians’ duties.
Hippocratic Corpus: A collection of ancient Greek medical works associated with Hippocrates and his tradition. The oath survives among writings linked to this diverse medical collection.
Hippocratic ethics: Moral principles expressed in the medical writings associated with the Hippocratic tradition. These broader principles illuminate the oath’s promises and prohibitions.
Declaration of Geneva: A modern declaration of physicians’ ethical duties adopted by the World Medical Association. It recasts professional commitments in contemporary terms and has undergone repeated revision.
Hippocratic Oath and euthanasia: Debates about the oath’s prohibition on giving a deadly drug and its relevance to euthanasia. The clause is frequently invoked in arguments about physician-assisted death.
Patient autonomy: A patient's right to make informed decisions about their own health care. Modern readings of the oath often weigh physician duties against patients’ choices.
Hippocrates: An ancient Greek physician traditionally regarded as a foundational figure in Western medicine. Tradition connects him to the oath, though its authorship is uncertain.
Medical apprenticeship: Training in medicine through instruction and practice under an experienced practitioner. The oath treats teaching a physician’s children and chosen pupils as a reciprocal duty.
Nightengale Pledge: An ethical pledge traditionally taken by nurses entering professional practice. It offers a nursing counterpart to the physician-centered Hippocratic tradition.
Hippocratic Oath and abortion: Interpretations of the oath’s prohibition on a destructive pessary in debates about abortion. This clause has become central to disputes over the oath’s meaning and modern relevance.

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