92 Greek Medicine 



of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teacher, and to 

 disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the Law 

 of Medicine, but to none other. I will follow that system of 

 regimen which, according to my ability and judgement, I 

 consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from what- 

 ever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly 

 medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel ; 

 nor will I aid a woman to produce abortion. With purity and 

 holiness I will pass my life and practise my Art. . . . Into what- 

 ever houses I enter, I will go there for the benefit of the sick, 

 and will abstain from every act of mischief and corruption ; 

 and above all from seduction. . . . Whatever in my professional 

 practice or even not in connexion with it I see or hear in the 

 lives of men which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not 

 divulge, deeming that on such matters we should be silent. 

 While I keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted me to 

 enjoy life and the practice of the Art, always respected among 

 men, but should I break or violate this Oath, may the reverse 

 be mv lot.' 



* 



Respected equally throughout the ages by Arab, Jew, and 

 Christian, the oath remains the watchword of the profession 

 of medicine. 1 The ethical value of such a declaration could not 

 escape the attention even of a Byzantine formalist, and it is 

 interesting to observe that in our oldest Greek manuscript of 

 the Hippocratic text, dating from the tenth century, this 

 magnificent passage is headed by the words c from the oath 

 of Hippocrates according as it may be sworn by a Christian.' 2 



When we examine the Hippocratic corpus more closely, we 

 discern that not only are the treatises by many hands, but there 

 is not even a uniform opinion and doctrine running through 



1 It must, however, be admitted that even in the Hippocratic collection 

 itself are cases of breach of the oath. Such, for instance, is the induction 

 of abortion related in yrepi (frvaios naiftfov, On the nature of the embryo. 

 There is evidence, however, that the author of this work was not a medical 

 practitioner. 



2 Rome Urbinas 64, fo. 116. 



