I
swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I
will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I
walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I
will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required,
avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I
will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that
warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the
chemist's drug.
I
will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in
my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.
I
will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed
to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in
matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it
may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be
faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must
not play at God.
I
will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick
human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic
stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care
adequately for the sick.
I
will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I
will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to
all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If
I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live
and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve
the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of
healing those who seek my help.
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