First Hippocratic Oath

What makes us who we are? What makes our history, religion, and our literature? What about our philosophy, science and our art? All of this is are the humanities. The humanities studies every aspect of the human experience all the way from the beginning of time. It is such an open and vast topic, that I will mostly focus on the medical part of the humanities, because that is where my field of study is. The medical field goes all the way back to the Hippocratic Oath which was written in the early 5th century BC. There were also many people that helped push the medical advancements along like Leonardo Da Vinci, Herophilus, and Erasistratus. Leonardo Da Vinci studied anatomy and drew diagrams of the human body that never had been seen before. Herophilus and Erasistratus studied neuroscience and the study of the human brain. Herophilus discovered the difference between sensory and motor nerves, and Erasistratus theories contradicted those of Herophilus. I will also discuss the responsibilities of a learner, and what learners should do to help themselves and our society.

“Physician-assisted suicide differs from euthanasia, which is defined as the act of assisting people with their death in order to end their suffering, but without the backing of a controlling legal authority.” 2 Physician-assisted suicide gives the legal authority to a physician who can prvide a patient with a lif ending dose of pills. A terminally ill patient first makes the decision to end their life. After required documentation, a doctor will administer a lethal dose of pills, and the patient is able to take them and end their life at the time that they see fit. This practice is currently legal in 6 states; Washington, Oregon, California, Vermont, Montana, and

Throughout the years, euthanasia has been a highly debated topic. Not only has the legality of euthanasia been debated, but also which forms of euthanasia will be used. One of the types of euthanasia has become legal in five states. This form of euthanasia is called Physician Assisted Suicide. Physician Assisted Suicide requires the doctor to provide the patient with the lethal drugs, but the patient must take them. Legalizing physician assisted suicide would change end of life care as we know it.

Physician assisted suicide is legalized in a small amount of U.S. states, but there are many states that are working on getting it legalized.

Euthanasia and doctor assisted suicide are similar but not exactly the same. Many people mistake them as synonyms, however, their meanings differ slightly. Euthanasia or rather a “mercy killing”, refers to when a patient is painlessly killed directly by the doctor, most commonly using a lethal injection, as a method to end their suffering. Doctor assisted suicide refers to when a doctor provides a way for the patient to kill themselves, likely using a prescription of some sort. It is most common in those who are either elderly, suffering from a terminal illness, an irreversible coma, or suffering from an incurable mental disability. Legalization of euthanasia would be significantly beneficial to patients who are suffering and need a last resort

In our society today, many terminally ill struggle with pain and fight through their disease. No methods have been discovered to cure these poor people. Everyday, he or she wish for relief on their significant unrelenting pain, but the only method right now is to end their lives. There are two methods that many terminally ill look to that are familiarized by our society, physician assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia. Physician assisted suicide is when the patient is prescribed lethal medicine by the doctor to commit suicide. While, voluntary active euthanasia is when a physician takes an active role in the action of killing the patient. There is often debate on whether or not any of these actions should be legalized in all states. Physician assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, California, Montana, Vermont, and Washington. Voluntary active euthanasia is illegal throughout the country. In my opinion, I believe that both voluntary active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be legal in every state.

What is physician assisted suicide? The dictionary term indicates physician assisted suicide is “suicide by a patient facilitated by means (such as a drug prescription) or by information (such as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient's intent” (Merriam-Webster, 2017). Assisted suicide is only legal in five U.S. states, and those states are Oregon, Vermont, Washington, California, and Montana. States that are mandated by state law are Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and California; and mandated by court ruling is the state of Montana.

There are numerous different types of physician assisted suicide one of them being euthanasia. Euthanasia is when a physician prescribes the treatment as well as directly administers the treatment to the patient. Euthanasia also breaks down into four separate categories; active, voluntary, passive, and involuntary. Active is the act of giving treatment to end one’s life while passive withholds from treatment that sustains life, while voluntary is when the patient gives their consent to the treatment and involuntary is when the patient is to a point they are unable to give the consent they need. Euthanasia is illegal in the United States and

Lastly the final sworn on the oath tell the physician to follow his word, “While I continue to keep this oath unviolated, may it granted to me to enjoy life and practice of art respected by all men in all times. But should I tress pass and violate this oath, may the reverse be my lot.”(Surg,2) A man should always keep his word, especially in the field that involve the life and death of

Throughout the history of medicine there has always been a need for shared commitment to ideals of moral, ethical and humane practice. The Hippocratic Oath, created by a compilation of works largely based on Hippocrates, has always stood as guidelines for the conduct of physicians. The Classical oath has and continues to serve well in preserving the sanctity of the medical profession while developing a basis for the respectful treatment of patients. However, this out-dated oath is not equipped to handle the modern trials and tribulations faced by physicians and health care in general. Many of its principles are simply unrealistic and inapplicable in today’s society. For this reason a revised version of the oath was written. As I will

My initial reaction while reading both the ancient and modern Hippocratic oaths was ‘Is this really necessary?’ The Hippocratic oath in my opinion states knowledge, which all doctors must abide by as a human. It seems redundant for there to be a document expressing moral principles that are taught to most. In the documentary Doctors’ Diaries it shows an instructor explaining that the greatest thing they can do as doctors is to “Do no harm.” However, as I continued to read the articles provided it made sense to have the Hippocratic and other such oaths as a barometer for doctors. Although all doctors may not follow the oaths, they provide structure for doctors of all specialties and can always revisit for guidance within their practice. The oaths are moral compasses, and comparable to other oaths different professions such as lawyers and the president would take.

A majority of physicians enter the healthcare industry because they strive to contribute to society by saving human lives. The Hippocratic Oath serves as a reminder for physicians to maintain the desire for improving patient health. Their intentions start off as hopeful and altruistic, but the reality of practice expenses and exam payments settles in to the point that their own financial well-being can no longer be ignored. Physicians are still workers who need to make enough income to support their family, pay off medical school debt, and compensate their colleagues for their efforts. Some physicians begin to consider the social status of their patients before offering certain services.

The Hippocratic Oath, which states the qualities of an ideal physician, is still revered by worldwide physicians today despite being one of the oldest papers in history. The content of the oath is of many aspects, including treatment of the patient to the best ability, preservation of the patient’s privacy, sharing of medical secrets to the next generation, etc. Nevertheless, despite the broad spectrum of medicine that the oath covers, the part that I will focus on in my dissertation is the sharing of scientific knowledge: “To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in

Leo Hertzberg is an art history Professor working and living in New York. He is friends with the artist William Wechsler. One of Bill's pictures fascinates him, therefore he bus it. Consequently he wants to meet the artist; and is impressed by him “[...] when I stood next to him and looked at the painting, I felt life a dwarf who had just been introduced to a giant” (Hustvedt 10). They share the same interest and understanding of art, therefore Leo and Bill become friends.

When this exactly happened I don’t remember, but about 6 years ago I started to realise something. I am a Software Engineer managing a team of Software Developers, not games or anything cool like that (before you ask). I was dedicated to my job, I actually loved it. Generally speaking, I would be at work before 7am and generally speaking I would leave for home around 7pm. When you love something though, it doesn’t matter the amount time you put in.