Lucius Vorenus

Medical Jurisprudence and Medical Ethics REACTION PAPER ON THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH

After reading the Hippocratic Oath, I feel compelled to consider including a Title in writing this reaction paper, and if it happens to be allowable, Id like the title to be: Virtue, Medical Craft, and Medical Common Sense. I found some bottomline from reading the oath that simply Virtue, (though terribly not easy to have), primarily matters most in the practice of Medicine with if given that one has been privileged of gaining and practicing the vast knowledge and skill in the art and science of the profession. The Hippocratic Oath informs me of the tremendous responsibility in the practice of Medicine. That a career in Medicine is not just for a future practitioners enjoyment of its astounding art and science, nor for ones academic fulfillment, and much more not for ones mere means for material gain. One is rather handed with a very grave responsibility. And somewhat unbeknownst to many, that as a future doctor, one is given an enormous privilege for receiving the fruits of the unfathomable sacrifice and hard work particularly from the leading figures in the founding and progress of the study and practice of Medicine through the centuries and with especially in the absence of advanced technology during their time. The first statement of the Hippocratic Oath, for me, may well sum-up the very essence of the entire oath: 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. (taken from the modern version of the traditional oath as penned in 1964 by Dr. Louis Lasagna) For me, the quoted passage above, it signifies that- moral integrity, discipline, and dedication are the very cores in the practice of Medicine. And one is not just representing for himself in dealing with the sick, but one is representing the noble aspirations, integrity and reputation of the teachers and the founding fathers of this field of work who by embracing such core qualities and character traits had successfully handed to us the capabilities for healing the sick. And these abilities to heal the sick are their legacy and gift to us, and doesnt in any way deserve to be used in vain.

Medical common sense. Why. I believe using ones gained knowledge for the applications of ones craft, one is obliged to embrace and follow the norms of the dos and donts in treating the sick. Processing a decision of what and how to implement a particular method of helping the sick should be based from ones conscience and the knowledge for the right and wrong, like if should I administer or prescribe this or that, or should I endorse him to another treatment specialty. Because it is NOT doing this through purely cold intellectualizations and for self-glorification. Ethical common sense in Medicine my specific example would also be, like when it comes to valuing the sick, that a practitioner should be matured enough, for example, to have a good grasp of a universal social norm that everybody wants respect and dignity. That a patient and his/her co-family members who besides are already suffering so much pain and insecurity and yet despite they are trying to maintain a respectable image in society, that surely it would not be good to mess their life more by disregarding their dignity and the privacy of their circumstances or confidentialities from their position. The Hippocratic Oath reminds me of Christianitys Ten Commandments. It requires one to follow and observe the ethical norms and standard for the practice of ones life or as a doctor in this matter, that failure from any or all of its commandments has grave consequences. It also amazes me that the Hippocratic Oath have particularly included that prevention is better than cure. For prevention of a disease to happen is way much better or preferable than cure because thus then there would be much lesser damage to the patients body to happen and much so that much lesser financial cost would be required in keeping the patients well-being.