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 which 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.(www)
The Modern version, sadly,
is simply an oath to oneself and is used in many medical schools today.