Abstract
Thirty years ago, at the inception of the era of contemporary bioethics, the Hippocratic oath and the moral precepts it embodies were the immutable bedrock of medical ethics. They bound physicians in a moral community that reached across temporal, cultural, and national barriers. They seemed impervious even to the powerful scientific and societal forces then emerging. Today, those forces have made the oath and each of its precepts the subject of critical challenge. Revisionists judge them anachronistic and in need of radical revision or total abandonment. Traditionalists, as urgently, insist on their timelessness, restoration, and reaffirmation. On the eve of the 21st century, the future shape and the viability of the centuries-old tradition of medical ethics are seriously in question. What is at issue is the credibility and authority of the moral covenants that are at the heart of the oath, ie, the promises to act primarily for the benefit
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
