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Article: Move over Hippocrates
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- July 6, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Hippocrates was a 5th-century Greek physician and, in his name,
doctors were once obliged to make an oath affirming their
obligations and proper conduct. The British Medical Association
still makes much of the Hippocratic Oath, deciding at its
conference this week to produce an updated version - apparently to
guard against slipping ethical standards brought about by
commercialism in the NHS.
Like so many matters the BMA makes much of, the foundation for
the fuss is poor. Hippocrates is probably not the author of the
document. Of the 70 works ascribed to the Hippocratic Collection,
Hippocrates might have written only six of them.
The fact that some doctors cling to the oath is fascinating. ...