The Linacre Quarterly Volume 51 | Number 2 Article 6 May 1984 The oD ctor's Oath - and a Christian Swearing It Allen Verhey Follow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq Recommended Citation Verhey, Allen (1984) "The octD or's Oath - and a Christian Swearing It," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 51 : No. 2 , Article 6. Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol51/iss2/6 Diagnostic Studies Adjusted For Spontaneous Fetal Death After A mni oce nt esi ~ reported in The A m erican Journal ol Human Gene tics, vol. 34, no. 6 (No 1982), p. 128A. The Doctor's Oath­ 9 . Davies and Doran, op. cit., p. 58. 10. Powledge and Fletch er, op cit. and a Christian Swearing It 11. Fletch e r, J·ohn C., "Ethics and Amniocentesis for Fetal Sex Selectio " Hastings Center Report, vol. 10, Feb., 1980, p. 16. Allen Verhey 12. Lenzer, G ., "Gender Ethics," Hast ings Center Report, vol. 10, F eb., 1 9 0,- p. 16. An associate professor in the 13. Harrison, M., e t a/., "Management of the Fetus with a Correctable C ·n· religion department at Hope Col­ genital Defect," Jo urnal of the A merican Medical Associati.on , vol. 246, n< 7 lege, Holland, Michigan, the (Aug. 14, 1981), p. 776. author received his doctorate in 14. See J. Fletcher, " The Fetus as Patient : Ethical Issu es," Journal ol he A merican Medical A ssociation, vol. 246, no. 7 (Aug. 14, 198 1 ), p . 772. religious studies from Yale Uni­ 1 5. Harrison, e ta/., op. cit., versity in 1975. He is associate 16. Golbus, M., e l at. , " In Utero Treatment of Urinary Tract Obstructic 1, '' pastor at the 14th Street Chris­ American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feb. 15, 1982, pp. 383-388. tian Reformed Church and is the 17. Ibid., p . 385. author of numerous articles. 1 8. Ibid., p. 386. 19. Clewell, et a/., " Surgical Approach to the Treatment of Fetal H y ro­ Professor Verhey extends his cephalus," New England Journal of M edicine, vol. 306, June 3, 1982, pp. gratitude to the National Endow­ 1320-132 5. ment for the Humanities for a 20. Ibid., p . 1322. residential fellowship for college 21. Ibid., p . 1325. teachers at Bloomington, Ind. in 22. Harrison, eta/. , op . cit., p. 777. 23. Hodgen, G., "Ante natal Diagnosis and Treatm ent of Fetal Skeletal M a ··or­ 1981-82, where work on this mations," Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 24.6, no. 10 (Sep 4, article began. He gives special 1981 ), pp. 1079-1083. thanks to David H. Smith, sem­ 24. Ibid., p. 1080. inar director; Leon Kass, whose 2 5. Ibid. conversation with the seminar 26. Ibid. , p. 1083. 27 . Fletcher, op. cit.; Golbus, e t a/., op. cit.; Harrison, eta/., op . c it. Eacn of inspired Verhey's initial thoughts thesf> articles raises the issue of regarding the fetus as a patient. Clewell, eta/. up. about the oath, and to his sem­ cit. , calls for appointme nt of a fetal advocate. For th e view that the fetus is n o t the inar colleagues for their thought- patie nt in these treatments, see w: Ruddick and W. Wilcox , " Operating 0 11 the ful critique of his work. Fetus," Ha stings Center R eport, vol. 12, no. 5 (Oct., 1982), pp. 10-14. 28. Fletcher, op . cit., p . 772. 29. Ruddick and Wilcox, op. cit., p. 10. 30. Wertheimer, R ., "Understanding t h e Abortion Argument," Philosoph) and The Hippocratic Oath Public A ffairs, vol. 1 , no. 1 (1971), pp. 67-95. I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius anq H ygeia and Panacea and 31. Harrison, e ta/., op. cit., p. 774. , all the gods and goddesses, making them m y witnesses, that I will fulfill 32. See R . Mercer, "Mothers' Responses to Their Infants with Defects, according to my ability and judgment this oath and this cove nant: Nursing R esearch, vol. 23, no. 2 (March / April, 1974), pp. 133-137 ; or J . Fle tcher, . To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to m y parents and to "Attitudes Toward Defective Newborns," Ha stings Center Studies, vol. 2 , no. I h~e my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to givf> (Jan., 1974), pp. 21-32. hJm a share of mine,. and to regard his offspring as equal to m y brothers in 33. Cranl ey, M., " D eve l~pm e n t of a Tool for the Measurement of Ma ternal male lineage and to teach them this art- if they desire to learn it - without Attachment During Pregna ncy," N ursing Research, vol. 30, no. 5 (Se pt. Oct.. fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction a nd all the 1981 ), pp. 281-284 ). other learning to m y sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and 34. Childress, J., " Negative and Positive Righ ts," Hastings Center R eport . vol. to pupils who have signed the covenant and have tak e n an oath according to 10, Feb., 1980, p. 19. the m edical law, but to no one else . 35. Ibid. .I. will apply dietetic m easures for the benefit of the sick according to my 36. I am following Vincent Punzo's account of double effect in his R eflec tive ab1hty and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. Naturalism (New York: Macmillan Co., 1969), pp. 222-225 . I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard m y life and my art. 138 Linacre QuarterlY May, 1984 139 I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work. that the ~ncient ins~i~utions presupposed in the oath for the learning Whatever house I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, and of medicme differ from their contemporary counterparts. remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular o f prac~Ice sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves. ~nd ! Will not recommend the stipulations of the oath as a code to Whatever I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside Simpl_Ify the address to the dilemmas and quandaries posed by medical of the treatment'in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must practice. spread abroad, I will keep to myself holding such things shameful to be That list of disclaimers, it may easily be observed, involves every spoken about. If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy part of the oath. It may prompt the question of what is to be salvaged. life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if But the lessons to be gleCJ.ned from this ancient document are not to I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot. 1 be f?und in its content so much as in certain features of its history and Its method. I want to suggest that there are lessons to be learned The Oath According to Hippocrates (1) from its reformist intention; (2) from its treatment of medicine as In So Far as a Christian May Swear It a practice with intrinsic goods and standards; and ( 3) from setting Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is blessed for these standards in a context which expressed and evoked an identity ever and ever; I lie not. I will bring no stain upon the learning of the medical art. Neither will I and recognized one's dependence upon and indebtedness to a com­ give poison to anybody though asked to do so, nor will I suggest such a munit~ and to the transcendent. Finally, I want to suggest (4) that plan. Similarly I will not give treatment to women to cause abortion, treat t?ere IS a lesson for Christians who would contribute to the discus­ ment neither from above nor from below. But I will teach thilil art, to thosP SIOns of bioethics in the early Church's adoption and revision of the who require to learn it, without grudging and without an indenture. I will doctor's oath. In an age when medicine's powers flourish, but its ethos use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment. And ir purity and in holiness I will guard my art. Info whatsoever houses I enter, 1 flou?ders, the ancient oath may help us to attend to ways of doing will do so to help the sick, keepirig free from all wrongdoing, intentional or mediCal ethics which are not currently popular. I undertake, therefore unintentional, tending to death or to injury, and from fornication with both to describe certain features of the ancient oath and to defend bond or free, man or woman. Whats.oever in the course of practice I see or the~ as having some promise for the contemporary consideration of hear (or outside my practice in social intercourse) that ought not to be ~ed1eal ethics in comparison to certain features of the current published abroad, I will not divulge, but consider such things to be holy hterature.