The Hippocratic Oath ( Ἱπποκράτειοσ ὅρκοσ)
I swear by Apollo, the healer, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath and agreement:
To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; to look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art
I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.
I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.
But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.
I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.
In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.
All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.
If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.
National Institute of Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/greek/greek_oath.html. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
The Hippocratic Oath has been updated by the Declaration of Geneva.
In the United Kingdom, the General Medical Council provides clear modern guidance in the form of its Duties of a Doctor and Good Medical Practice statements. http://www.gmcuk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice/duties_of_a_doctor.asp. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
The Duties of a Doctor Registered with the General Medical Council
· Patients must be able to trust doctors with their lives and health. To justify that trust you must show respect for human life and you must:
· Make the care of your patient your first concern
· Protect and promote the health of patients and the public
· Provide a good standard of practice and care
· Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date
· Recognize and work within the limits of your competence
· Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients’ interests
· Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity
· Treat patients politely and considerately
· Respect patients’ right to confidentiality
· Work in partnership with patients
· Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences
· Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand
· Respect patients’ right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care
· Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health
· Be honest and open and act with integrity
· Act without delay if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may be putting patients at risk
· Never discriminate unfairly against patients or colleagues
· Never abuse your patients’ trust in you or the public’s trust in the profession
· You are personally accountable for your professional actions and must justify your decisions.
White Coat Ceremony (WCC)
This a relatively new ritual in some medical, chiropractic, dental, pharmacy, veterinary medical, physical therapy, podiatric, and optometry schools that marks the student‘s transition from the study of preclinical to the clinical health sciences.
The white coat ceremony typically involves a formal "robing" or "cloaking" of students in white coats, the garb physicians traditionally wear. .This ceremony addresses collegiality and medical ethics, usually with a reading of the Hippocratic Oath. Over 100 medical schools in the USA now have a WCC and many students now consider it a rite of passage in the journey toward a medical career. Jones VA JAMA 281 (5): 478, 1999
Entheogenic theories.
Some are concerned with the quasi-religious symbolism of the White Coat, like a "conversion" of a lay person into a member of the medical profession, similar to a priest’s ordination. J Med Ethics 28 (1): 5–9.
Others suggest that the White Coat is a symbol of elitism, power and entitlement and is used a substitute for trust and respect. The white coat changes the relationship of the physician with the patient from one as a loving caregiver to one as an authoritarian care director. Russell PC (2002). "The White Coat Ceremony: turning trust into entitlement". Teach Learn Med 14 (1): 56–9
WCCs originated in University of Chicago‘s Pritzker School of Medicine in 1989, but the first full-fledged ceremony took place in 1993 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Taking the Hippocratic Oath
As a follower of Jesus Christ who was planning to be a physician, I had always been critical of accepting the Hippocratic Oath as the standard for my ethical behavior in the practice of medicine. The oath was allegedly based on the writings of the mystery religions by ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who probably lived between 460 and 380 B.C.
Markel, H. New Engl. J. Med. 2004 350:2026):
The first recorded administration of the Hippocratic Oath in a medical school setting was at the University of Wittenberg in Germany in 1508 but it did not become a standard part of formal medical school graduation ceremonies until 1804, when it was incorporated into the commencement exercises at Montpellier, France.
Smith DC. J Hist Med Allied Sci 1996;51:484-500
In 1928 only 19 percent of the medical schools in North America included the oath in their commencement exercises according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. In the 1970s, many American medical schools abandoned the Hippocratic Oath altogether. Today, nearly every US medical school administers some type of professional oath that reflect the politically correct values, customs, and beliefs associated with the ethical practice of medicine. About 16,000 men and women who are awarded a medical degree take one of these modified oaths. Few believe in the ancient Greek gods Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panaceia, and therefore no longer pledge allegiance to them.
Evidence indicates that spirituality in general is now only distantly related to medical science. Of the oaths administered at 147 US and Canadian medical schools in 1993, only 11 percent of the professional oaths invoked a deity. Only 14 percent of such oaths prohibited euthanasia, and only 8 percent prohibited abortion.
J Clin Ethics 1997;8:377-388
It is not as though the Hippocratic Oath or other such guidelines have no value but they are based on the wisdom of man rather than the inspired directions from God. Reference to a deity is vague or absent..
Concerns about Taking the Hippocratic Oath
The least concern I had while going to medical school was the Hippocratic Oath. I was more interested in graduating than anything else. I knew that obtaining a license to practice medicine did not depend on taking this oath.
As graduation neared I became aware that taking the Hippocratic Oath would be part of the graduation ceremony. It was then that I took a closer look at its content. I was appalled by the introduction of the very first paragraph. I concluded that there was no way that I would take a vow to come under the authority of any pagan gods. To me this was not an insignificant document. It was blasphemy! It was not just “cute” or the politically correct thing to do. It was an irreverent rejection of God as the healer. To have taken this oath would have placed me under a spiritual force that had no authority or power to heal. By taking this oath I would have had to reject Jehovah Rophe, the God who heals you and forego the option of being an anointed vessel through which healing could take place. I would have chosen to usurp the authority of Jesus to heal and would have given it to another spirit. I would have been acting in the spirit of the Antichrist, substituting another spirit for the spirit of Christ. So, I never took the Hippocratic Oath!
The True Source Of Healing
Jehovah-Rophe: אנִי יְהוָה רֹפְאֶֽךָ׃ ס I am Jehovah Who Heals Ex. 15:22-26
From "rophe" ("to heal"); implies spiritual, emotional as well as physical healing. (Jer. 30:17, 3:22; Isa. 61:1) God heals body, soul and spirit; all levels of mans’ being.
Rapha (rä·fä’)–to heal
1) make healthful of God
2) healer, physician of men
Ex 15;26 If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the LORD that heals thee.
Mystery Religions
The beginning of the mystery religions was probably drug related. The Eleusinian Mystery religions are believed to have begun about 1600 BC, during the Mycenean Age. Moses received the Laws of healing on Mt. Sinai during the time of Pentecost in 1447 B.C. about 1000 years before Hippocrates.
Some believe that kykeon‘s, psychoactive alkaloids made from the ergot fungus growing on barley, gave the initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries certain powers and spiritual understanding These psychoactive alkaloids contain lysergic acid amide (LSA), a precursor to LSD, or “acid” and ergonovine.
LSD is considered an entheogen ("creates god within," en εν- "in, within," theo θεος- "god, divine," -gen γενος "creates, generates") because it can produce intense spiritual "out of body" experiences and is considered by users to be a powerful tool to access the divine. LSD hallucinations are indistinguishable from those described in the secret mystical texts of ancient civilizations.
Grof, Stanislav; Joan Halifax Grof (1979). Realms of the Human Unconscious (Observations from LSD Research)London: Souvenir Press (E & A) Ltd. pp. 13–14.
Hippocrates writings were based on altered mental function from hallucinogens like LSD and other mind altering drugs.
One can understand why Hippocrates would appeal to Apollo and other “gods” because they supposedly dealt with the spiritual dimension of man, when in fact they were hallucinations.
Hippocrates and the Eleusinian School understood the need for the divine to be an essential part of their therapy. They were also aware that there was an additional benefit of power and the ability to acquire wealth and influence by having a mystical force in their treatment regimen. Much like today, the mystique of medicine and the invocations of the divine as used in some healing ministries are profitable for the same reason.
Even though modern medicine has distanced itself from the ancient mysteries, vestiges of it still remain, including: an initiation ceremony, a sense of elitism, and a practice method that depends heavily on drugs.
Bondage to this cultish system of care will persist until we, who practice medicine, will repent of our lawlessness and recognize the true source of healing: Jehovah Rophe who heals you.
Instruction of the Holy Spirit on How to Pray for Healing
Jas 5: 12-16 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
Is anyone among you suffering? {Then} he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
Is anyone among you sick? {Then} he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Yes, there is a power to heal and He is the Lord Jesus Christ, Jehovah Rophe incarnate.