The Hippocratic Oath. Healing Life Serie.
- Mariola Anna Alsina
- May 13
- 1 min read
Podcast with Dr. Ron Elfenbein
The Hippocratic was created in ancient Greece (V-III centuries BC) to establish the first ethical and professional standards of medicine, guaranteeing that doctors will act for the benefit of the patient, respect life, and maintain professional secrecy, marking the transition from an artisanal practice to a professional and humanistic discipline.
The Hippocratic Oath includes responsibility and respect for the patient and his life, benevolence (that is, the absence of malicious ends), and confidentiality.
The Hippocratic Oath, although still the ethical basis of medicine, is often perceived as disrespected or outdated due to a combination of social and legal changes and the evolution of modern medical practice. The essence of the oath (do no harm, benefit the patient) is still valid, but its literal application has clashed with current reality.
Conflicts with new laws: The original oath explicitly prohibited abortion and euthanasia. Originally a sacred oath, today it is often considered a deontological promise or a simple protocol act to graduate, losing part of its binding moral weight.
To be able to illustrate with current events, in which doctors who respect this code in the most sacred and ancient concept, are in many cases fined and persecuted, while others who put other interests than the patient's are rewarded by the current system.
We have interviewed Dr. Ron Elfebein, from Maryland, who despite having been awarded for his work and good practices by the same state of Maryland and other entities, suffers a situation of procedural harassment, which he explains in this interview.
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