Ethical practice of Homoeopathy from Indian perspective

Abstract

Moral principles and ethics are essential and inseparable from medical practices. The father of Medicine, Hippocrates introduced the Corpus Hippocraticum in the last decades of the fifth century. Physicians have been starting their career by swearing the solemn oath called Hippocratic Oath from the Corpus Hippocraticum as Horkos (Oath), for ages. Ethics is an important branch of philosophy that examines rights and wrongs, and guides what needs to be done. Four principles are guiding in all situations, which are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice in general. Homoeopathic practitioners also follow the ethics in general like allopathic physicians. The declaration and oath that the homoeopathic physicians swear at the time of registration is an added responsibility that is supreme. The Hahnemannian Oath guides Homoeopathic practitioners to take inspiration from Master Hahnemann's teachings and obtain the strength to believe in Homoeopathy. Ethical practice in Homoeopathy is determined keeping in view ‘the highest and the only mission’ for the homoeopathic physician as mentioned in the first aphorism of Organon of Medicine i.e., to restore the sick to health. Overall ethics guide all the practitioners of the medical system. A physician while rendering services to humanity should always perform duty with dignity. He/She should keep up the honour of his/her profession at all times.