Hippocratic Oath

The Oath is one of the best-known works in the Hippocratic tradition of ancient Greek medicine. It is conventionally linked to Hippocrates of Cos and often dated to about 400 BCE, but scholars cannot identify its author with certainty or establish an exact date. The broader collection of writings associated with Hippocrates was produced by more than one writer over time, so the attribution of a particular work does not prove that Hippocrates personally composed it. In its classical form, the Oath begins by invoking Greek healing deities, including Apollo and Asclepius.

The text links medical practice to obligations between teachers and students as well as duties to patients. It calls on a physician to use judgment for the patient's benefit, avoid harm and injustice, and keep private information from being disclosed. The classical version also contains rules reflecting the social and medical setting in which it was written, including limits on certain treatments and on conduct in patients' homes. These provisions make the Oath a historical document, not a complete statement of present-day medical ethics.

The Oath was transmitted and rewritten in settings shaped by different religious and cultural values. Its enduring reputation helped make it a symbol of physicians' ethical responsibilities, but there has never been just one unchanged form used in every place or era. Contemporary medical schools and professional bodies may use revised versions, locally written pledges or other codes instead of the classical text. The word 'Hippocratic' therefore often describes a tradition of professional ideals as well as the ancient document itself.

The maxim 'first, do no harm' is widely associated with the Oath, but that exact phrase does not appear in the classical text. A published translation instead describes providing care for patients' benefit and avoiding harm or injustice. The distinction matters: the familiar slogan is a later shorthand for an ethical ideal, not a verbatim line that can be attributed to the ancient document.

Modern professional ethics address responsibilities that are not expressed in the same way in the ancient text, including respect for patient autonomy and human rights. One example is the World Medical Association's Declaration of Geneva, adopted in 1948 and amended in 2017. It is a contemporary physician's pledge, not a transcription of the Hippocratic Oath. Its promises include placing a patient's health and well-being first, respecting dignity and confidentiality, and refusing to use medical knowledge to violate human rights.