It is easy to forget oaths and sermons when the "patria" demands it...what is one life or even two or three when one saves so many...
IF ever I had a country : XXI - XXII
" I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art. " Excerpted from the translation by Francis Adams in Wikisource of the Oath of Hippocrates, 400 BCE.
XXI
IF ever I had a country
And if ever I were but the Health Minister
And if some breach some tort against The Hippocratic Oath reached my ear
I'd rage and storm through ward portals in Olympian Apollonic gear
To arraign the culprit whether Male Nurse Sister Matron or specialist Doctor
Till no patient need fear contamination poison nor Secret Service murder
That is, if ever I were but the Health Minister
And even if I never ever had no country
XXII
IF ever I had a country
And if ever I were the Health Secretary
And if some sleepless stateless victim of the Secret Police's Third Degree
Was put under Trileptal and made to undergo Tomo-Scintigraphy
And the operators abandoned the patient to general tonico-clonic seizure in epilepsy
I'd either order the hospital closed or put the service heads out-of-activity
That is, if ever I were even the Health Sec in Gay Paree
And even if I never ever had no country
Hello, Ron ! Of course, human evolution has gone on for so long that it is difficult to reconcile morals with economic development and over-population, not to mention the noise nuisances produced by the Industrial Revolution, but there are certain values that cannot be inflected to suit everyday exigencies. Aren't you a bit harsh with the "old hypocrite", as you put it? He lived in a time when there were few medical defenses against all sorts of ailments which plagued members of his society, and the preservation of life was, no doubt, his main concern. Abortion and euthanasia may not have had the same significance as they do in our times. Still, you are entitled to your judgment. Do not forget, he lived in a time and a place which gave the world undying intellectual and cultural endowments that underwrite human attitudes and behaviour till this very day, barring of course the mythological pantheon and the endless urge for regional wars and rivalry like the Pelopponasian, Spartan, Athenian and later Macedonian conquests, including of course the Persian invasions. Even at this distance in time, it is so very difficult to believe that the ancient Greeks could have achieved so much in almost every field so brilliantly.
As for me, I applaud them without restraint. Every good wish.
From what I read, I see that the old hypocrite was dead set against abortion and euthanasia. I think it's time we quit swearing to oaths created in 400 BCE and get real. Of course, murder by hospital employee is not condoned. Perhaps the language can be improved--properly amended--so that the difference between tender mercy brought about by euthanasia is not the same as murder by enemies of the state. And of course, again, I would not allow the medical profession to hide serious malfeasance in the practice of medicine.
Re-Release! No longer back-listed. Return to the Olde Ways. The hustle and bustle of modern day life has brought many of us to a quick fix attitude.This book is for those of you who are fed up; have looked at your life and your loved ones and realize
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powerful, thought provoking read
never stop writing
m
As for me, I applaud them without restraint. Every good wish.
Ron