The Hippocratic Oath and Principles of Medical Ethics

Abstract

Corresponding author: Gilbert Berdine MD Contact Information: Gilbert.Berdine@ttuhsc.edu DOI: 10.12746/swrccc 2015.0309.115 The Hippocratic Oath is associated with the practice of medicine, but over time fewer medical graduates have taken any form of the Hippocratic Oath. As of 2006, the State University of New York Upstate Medical School in Syracuse was the only U.S. medical school that administered the classic version of the Hippocratic Oath to its graduates. The Hippocratic Oath has been revised to make it more acceptable to modern schools, but the medical profession no longer has a common set of promises that guide it. This article will look at the classic version of the Hippocratic Oath to see why it has been abandoned. Modern medical students wish to graduate into an ancient order of physicians, so they long for a solemn ceremony, but it is difficult to craft a solemn ceremony that remains agreeable to a diverse group of students.