The Case Of The Hippocratic Oath

Throughout the history of medicine there has always been a need for shared commitment to ideals of moral, ethical and humane practice. The Hippocratic Oath, created by a compilation of works largely based on Hippocrates, has always stood as guidelines for the conduct of physicians. The Classical oath has and continues to serve well in preserving the sanctity of the medical profession while developing a basis for the respectful treatment of patients. However, this out-dated oath is not equipped to handle the modern trials and tribulations faced by physicians and health care in general. Many of its principles are simply unrealistic and inapplicable in today’s society. For this reason a revised version of the oath was written. As I will

Medicine is a science of healing, but also an art. It takes intelligence in the sciences as well as precise skill in the art of medicine to heal successfully. In the Hippocratic Oath, Hippocrates highlights the importance of passing on the tradition of practicing medicine, maintaining respect for patients, and preserving humility within themselves. Modern day practice of this oath involve patient’s stories. Rita Charon in her article “What to do with Stories? The sciences of Narrative Medicine,” explores narrative writing and how to use it as a tool in healing patients. While Charon focuses on the writing of these stories, Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal reflects on how to make more meaningful endings out of the stories of patients who

If a patient can come to a decision when it is time to stop treatment for their terminal illness, then they should also be allowed to choose when to bring death. End of life care has become just as important of an issue to physicians as well as the patients. If physician-assisted deaths were permitted in all 50 states, physicians could openly discuss end of life wishes with their patients. The term “Terminally ill”, Is a terminal condition that is a disease or process that will result eventually in a patient's death, no matter what treatment is given. Of course, this could

Life is a delicate subject to address, especially when it comes to the end thereof. Oftentimes, talking about death is a sensitive and therefore controversial subject. In America, citizens are allowed to hold and express their personal ideologies and beliefs, which has created a lot of discussion about whether or not it should be legal for doctors to help terminally ill patients peacefully end their lives. This is commonly referred to as Aid-In-Dying. The human experience is filled with many difficulties and sufferings. In the dreadful circumstance that someone is diagnosed as terminally ill, why would anyone want him or her to continue to suffer? When a human being is dying and experiencing excruciating pain, they absolutely should have

A person who chooses to die in what they believe is a more humane and peaceful way does not mean that they want to die, they simply have no choice. One article says, “On the other hand, a terminally ill person is actively dying and therefore no longer is choosing death over life but rather one form of death over another.” (“Aid 3”) By giving patients the choice of Physician Assisted Death, we are allowing them to have some control over the way their life ends and give them a sense of relief and happiness.

In the article “The Hippocratic Oath of the Manger: Good or Bad Idea? ” Sean Jasso suggests that a manager is not necessary requires a professional license to practice management neither takes oaths. However, he believes that it is normal for medical doctors, lawyers, and CPAs to take the oath. The idea about whether the Hippocratic oath of manager is good or bad still stay controversial because some believe that having a professional license to practice management will minimize the failure in business. On the other side, some believes that as long as manager produce effective result within the rule of law then oath is irrelevant or not helpful. For example, Harvard Business School Scholars takes the “MBA Oath”, which was inspired by the professor Rakesh Khurana and Nitin Nohria. The example of Harvard School of Business shows readers that the business crisis could be prevent or improve by turning management to a profession like law and medicine because these professions have to take oath: not to do harm to the society and people. Although Rakesh Khurana and Nitin Nohria’s ideas of “MBA Oath” is noble, Jasso believes that it is not realistic in our society.

A personal experience of mine was this past year, when a close family member was diagnosed with brain cancer. She had refused treatment, with that was given 6-8 months to live. She was the most strongest, independent, family oriented lady I have ever met, however, that quickly changed when the tumour spread like rapid fire. She could not eat on her own, she could not talk, and she could not do the basic everyday routine, needing constant help. As the days went on she was getting worse, she was not herself. Now, we are left with these memories and the sadness of witnessing a strong independent lady just disappear in front of us. For a terminally ill patient with the knowledge of dying with dignity should be given this choice. As learnt in class it is based on the rights approach, giving the individual the right to choose for him or herself. The right to choose to die before the illness takes over and takes away who the person really was. Their right to leave their family with happy memories, instead of sad memories of them being sick and in

Death with dignity, is not only a legislation in some states that allow physician-assisted suicide, but it is also a term in how many want to pass into the next life. Patients who suffer with terminal illness, generally, die an ugly state. For example, when a patient become terminal, their system starts to shut down. This causes bodily functions to stop work, such as bowel excrement or uncontrolled urination. As a human, not being able to do daily tasks, such as using the toilet, can become humiliating. Additionally, if a patient has unbearable pain, the physician may increase their medication and put the patient in a sedated, unclear state. Death with dignity allows terminally ill patients to leave this Earth in an unaltered perception of who they really are. The patient’s family have to watch their family member suffer, and that alone, can be heartbreaking, as there is nothing they can do in terms of relieving their symptoms. With physician-assisted suicide, the family can have some relief in that their family member is not suffering any

Imagine that if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, and at some point it became apparent that you had less than six months to live. Imagine further, if you will, that to the best of available medical knowledge, your death will be painful and traumatic; dementia, loss of sight or hearing, and loss of bodily functions. Would you want the people you love to witness this if it caused them greater anguish? Would you want your life to end this way if you had an alternative? I believe that in the United States, all terminally ill adults who are mentally competent should have the freedom to die with dignity the way they desire, the choice to die with the aid of a competent and willing physician, and non-punitive laws in place that protect their decision.

Individuals with a terminal illness will typically go through the seven emotional stages of while coming to terms with their condition; shock, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, and acceptance. Acceptance varies by the individual and has many different meanings. Some individuals try to make the time they have left last as long as possible while others focus on completing goals previously set in their life time. Some will seek forgiveness whether it be from their god(s) or from family and friends. But for a select few, acceptance means that they will try to take control of when they will pass away. To take control of something so trivial, they may look to family, friends, or even their physician. The act of voluntary termination of one’s life with the assistance of a medical care personal is referred to as physician assisted suicide, physician assisted death, or euthanasia. Physician assisted suicide allows patients to take control of what happens before and after death. It allows the patient to enjoy the dwindling life they have left and can be regulated by the government.

Life at one point has to end, and in circumstances maybe a little early. When you see life, you see a person who is happy with problems no bigger than bills and most of all healthy with a whole long life to live, but when you are terminally ill it may be a completely different point of view. When you are sick, you do not enjoy life, but wish for it to end; Why? You say, well you are not living your life when you are in pain. The pain is all you feel and it is way more sad when you know it is not going to end. Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide have given patients an opportunity to decide how they want to die and even an opportunity on how they want to be remembered. For this patients, there point of view is not of them quitting, it is of them feeling suffering and not wanting their children to remember the bad times instead of the good times when the patient was healthy. Physicians should help terminally ill patients die in peace if they decide to because they have the right to determine how to live and die and how they want to safeguard income and expenses.

In the United States, we have certain human rights and that includes the right to choose to end our lives. Under article 3 in the Declaration of Human Rights, it states, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person” (Appendix). Given this law, a patient has all the rights to decide if they want to live or die. According to Dworkin, “The individual has a basic right to determine the course of their own life and obviously death is a part of that course” (Bell). A fellow New Yorker also said, “Whatever view we take about, we want the right to decide for ourselves.” To sum up, it’s very important to allow us to make our own decisions.

The Hippocratic Oath, is “First, do no harm”. Being a doctor is a profession solely dedicated to helping others, but what about when helping hurts? Often times the doctor doesn’t fully understand the patient due to a language or cultural barrier. A misunderstanding between the doctor and the patient can cause the patient to mistrust and discount everything the doctor says. The only thing worse than a noncompliant patient is a seemingly compliant patient. Although the western medical system has proven to be effective in its precision and accuracy, it is only as effective as the patients that make up the system.

As patients come closer to the end of their lives, certain organs stop performing as well as they use to. People are unable to do simple tasks like putting on clothes, going to the restroom without assistance, eat on our own, and sometimes even breathe without the help of a machine. Needing to depend on someone for everything suddenly brings feelings of helplessness much like an infant feels. It is easy to see why some patients with terminal illnesses would seek any type of relief from this hardship, even if that relief is suicide. Euthanasia or assisted suicide is where a physician would give a patient an aid in dying. “Assisted suicide is a controversial medical and ethical issue based on the question of whether, in certain situations,

A 32 years old pregnant woman is pregnant for the first time. Sadly, she was diagnosed with Rubella in her 9th week of pregnancy. Though, she tried for a while to get pregnant. However, the health care practitioner told her that is a life threatening, so she should be vaccinated. They asked her to take the vaccine hyperimmune globulin which is antibodies for fighting the disease. Furthermore, the physician informed woman about the choices that she could decide between them; whether get an abortion or complete pregnant with probabilities of malformation to the baby. Although, the woman has been confirmed that Rubella may cause miscarriage, preterm birth, or stillbirth nonetheless the child may expose to birth defects related to serious conditions,