I'm a herbalist who admires herbal medications because most medicines are extracted from tree and plant species. Just like medical prescriptions, overuse of herbs could cause overdose and other health complications. It is beneficial to know the side effects of the prescriptions written by doctors or by clinical officers because, for example, taking two drugs at the same time could have contraindications.
Every prescription by a medical professional starts with RX from the Latin word "recipere" whose English equivalent is "recipe" or "Take, thou." In essence, Rx means "take." In the past, there were medical practitioners who were known as Apothecaries. Apothecaries were General Practitioners (GP) of medieval times. To be on the safe side, always make a quick search for the prescription written by doctors either for you or for a family member.
Upon graduating from a medical school, doctors take the Hippocratic Oath that is attributed to Hippocrates who was a Greek physician and obviously a polytheist. Mention of polytheist, takes me back to the olden days when I was studying philosophy in a Catholic Church funded private college for my baccalaureate degree. Fascinated by the history and knowledge of the different ancient Greek philosophers covered in the various texts, I had one question to ask my lecturer who was a female sister and and a good friend. I wanted to know if the Greek philosophers of that era had specific religious beliefs. To my amazement, the same lecturer who also taught me psychology, told the entire class that the men we were studying were lovers of wisdom who were entirely polytheists. They had everything they needed in life and were deep thinkers though they believed in gods and goddesses.
To ensure physicians abided by medical ethics, it was deemed necessary for each and every medical practitioner to observe and ensure the safety of the patient being examined and attended to. It is essential doctors observe medical confidentiality that is part of the Hippocratic Oath. Here the doctor is required to keep secret all conversations with the patient or else there could be legal ramifications and non-maleficence, meaning "first, do not harm", from the Latin "primum non nocere" that is also enshrined in the same ancient oath. Observing the medical confidentiality of the patient, offering the right medications while following the right medical procedures, and avoiding the anything that could result in medical malpractice are some of the etiquettes required of medical doctors.
One medical procedure that is universally unacceptable for medical doctors to perform is euthanasia and that is taking the life of a patient intentionally even though the to-be euthanized willingly signs a form of consent with the wish to have his life taken until pronounced dead. Euthanasia is a Greek word that means "good death" and is categorized into voluntary that is legal in some countries, non-voluntary that is illegal globally and involuntary is considered murder and remains illegal in all countries.
Going back to the Hippocratic Oath, we find that the oath gravely contravened the religious practices of some doctors especially followers of Islam, and with the evolvement of secularism and modern medical practices, the ancient Greek oath that had references to gods and goddesses experienced alterations. Hippocrates had this to say in his oath:
"I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant." Asclepius was a demigod and the son of Apollo. He was killed by Zeus. Hygieia who was a goddess was the daughter of Asclepius and was famous for hygiene, sanitation, and good health. Panaceia or Panacea was also the daughter of Asclepius and the Goddess of Universal Health.
"The American College of Surgeons, and the Geneva Declaration of Medical Ethics provide the commitment in a doctor's oath that states " I pledge myself".
Borrowing the wisdoms of Ibn Sina and Luqman Al-Hikma and other contemporary Muslim physicians, the Islamic Medical Association of North America, came up with the following oath:
The oath adopted by the Islamic Medical Association of North America is given below:
"Praise be to Allah (God), the Teacher, the Unique Majesty of heavens, the Exalted, the Glorious, glory be to Him. The Eternal Being who created the Universe and all the creatures within, and the only Being who containeth the infinity and the eternity. We serve no other God besides Thee and regard idolatry as an abominable injustice".
"Give us the strength to be truthful, honest, modest, merciful and objective".
"Give us the wisdom to comfort and counsel all towards peace and harmony"
"Give us the understanding that ours is a sacred profession that deals with Your most precious gifts of life and intellect"
"Therefore, make us worthy of this favored station with honor, dignity and piety so that we may devote our lives in serving mankind, poor or rich, wise or illiterate".
I was fortunate to see only once, an oath similar to the one above in a foreign country while riding at the back of a pickup truck. The oath was in a large frame and the design and colors appeared so alluring.
Every prescription by a medical professional starts with RX from the Latin word "recipere" whose English equivalent is "recipe" or "Take, thou." In essence, Rx means "take." In the past, there were medical practitioners who were known as Apothecaries. Apothecaries were General Practitioners (GP) of medieval times. To be on the safe side, always make a quick search for the prescription written by doctors either for you or for a family member.
Upon graduating from a medical school, doctors take the Hippocratic Oath that is attributed to Hippocrates who was a Greek physician and obviously a polytheist. Mention of polytheist, takes me back to the olden days when I was studying philosophy in a Catholic Church funded private college for my baccalaureate degree. Fascinated by the history and knowledge of the different ancient Greek philosophers covered in the various texts, I had one question to ask my lecturer who was a female sister and and a good friend. I wanted to know if the Greek philosophers of that era had specific religious beliefs. To my amazement, the same lecturer who also taught me psychology, told the entire class that the men we were studying were lovers of wisdom who were entirely polytheists. They had everything they needed in life and were deep thinkers though they believed in gods and goddesses.
To ensure physicians abided by medical ethics, it was deemed necessary for each and every medical practitioner to observe and ensure the safety of the patient being examined and attended to. It is essential doctors observe medical confidentiality that is part of the Hippocratic Oath. Here the doctor is required to keep secret all conversations with the patient or else there could be legal ramifications and non-maleficence, meaning "first, do not harm", from the Latin "primum non nocere" that is also enshrined in the same ancient oath. Observing the medical confidentiality of the patient, offering the right medications while following the right medical procedures, and avoiding the anything that could result in medical malpractice are some of the etiquettes required of medical doctors.
One medical procedure that is universally unacceptable for medical doctors to perform is euthanasia and that is taking the life of a patient intentionally even though the to-be euthanized willingly signs a form of consent with the wish to have his life taken until pronounced dead. Euthanasia is a Greek word that means "good death" and is categorized into voluntary that is legal in some countries, non-voluntary that is illegal globally and involuntary is considered murder and remains illegal in all countries.
Going back to the Hippocratic Oath, we find that the oath gravely contravened the religious practices of some doctors especially followers of Islam, and with the evolvement of secularism and modern medical practices, the ancient Greek oath that had references to gods and goddesses experienced alterations. Hippocrates had this to say in his oath:
"I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant." Asclepius was a demigod and the son of Apollo. He was killed by Zeus. Hygieia who was a goddess was the daughter of Asclepius and was famous for hygiene, sanitation, and good health. Panaceia or Panacea was also the daughter of Asclepius and the Goddess of Universal Health.
"The American College of Surgeons, and the Geneva Declaration of Medical Ethics provide the commitment in a doctor's oath that states " I pledge myself".
Borrowing the wisdoms of Ibn Sina and Luqman Al-Hikma and other contemporary Muslim physicians, the Islamic Medical Association of North America, came up with the following oath:
The oath adopted by the Islamic Medical Association of North America is given below:
"Praise be to Allah (God), the Teacher, the Unique Majesty of heavens, the Exalted, the Glorious, glory be to Him. The Eternal Being who created the Universe and all the creatures within, and the only Being who containeth the infinity and the eternity. We serve no other God besides Thee and regard idolatry as an abominable injustice".
"Give us the strength to be truthful, honest, modest, merciful and objective".
"Give us the wisdom to comfort and counsel all towards peace and harmony"
"Give us the understanding that ours is a sacred profession that deals with Your most precious gifts of life and intellect"
"Therefore, make us worthy of this favored station with honor, dignity and piety so that we may devote our lives in serving mankind, poor or rich, wise or illiterate".
I was fortunate to see only once, an oath similar to the one above in a foreign country while riding at the back of a pickup truck. The oath was in a large frame and the design and colors appeared so alluring.
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