Hippocratic Oath—Modern Version
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.
Why this sudden fervency for my profession,one might ask?My convocation(which includes oath taking) was held today.Somehow,actually taking the oath makes a difference as did the speeches given by our guests of honour.As Dr Fernandes said,we have to take an oath because we literally hold lives in our hands...a realization that strikes home only when we are on the verge of completing our degree.The only other profession which can claim such an impact is teaching(maybe Dr Radhakrishnan should have come up with an oath too)
Today,as I stand at yet another of life's crossroads,I swear...
Doctor Witch
Friday, February 15, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Rest In Peace
She's finally beamed over to a much better place.I speak of the patient with 100% burns who's been in the Burns Ward for the past ten days.She's been poked,prodded,yelled at and subjected to every indignity possible but the most amazing thing is that she remained a sweet,young girl till the last time I saw her.
A 17 year old child,about to embark on life's real journey,literally and figuratively blackened by that cruel master-fire.What is just as horrifying is that her younger brother was in the house and therefore the first to see her.this child has moved on but I worry about the scars left on that young child's mind by the horrifying sight.When,I,the budding doctor was so deeply affected by the sight inspite of all the pain I've seen how much worse must it be for a tender,green child.
I've tried to talk about this to a lot of people,family and friends,but they get too freaked out by the details...how the skin peels off when you smear her with antiseptic ointment,the pain she goes through every time we change the femoral central line,the indignity of having to lie there unclothed(clothes are a nidus for infection),being ignored by uncaring relatives,being yelled at by unsympathetic caretakers.To her credit,she bore all that without complaint or bitterness.I wonder how many of us would behave like that if we were going through even half her pain.
The moral of the post: Listen to the meek and mild
For they too have their own story.
This post is dedicated to a young child who was an example of how one bears trial by fire with grace.
Doctor Witch
A 17 year old child,about to embark on life's real journey,literally and figuratively blackened by that cruel master-fire.What is just as horrifying is that her younger brother was in the house and therefore the first to see her.this child has moved on but I worry about the scars left on that young child's mind by the horrifying sight.When,I,the budding doctor was so deeply affected by the sight inspite of all the pain I've seen how much worse must it be for a tender,green child.
I've tried to talk about this to a lot of people,family and friends,but they get too freaked out by the details...how the skin peels off when you smear her with antiseptic ointment,the pain she goes through every time we change the femoral central line,the indignity of having to lie there unclothed(clothes are a nidus for infection),being ignored by uncaring relatives,being yelled at by unsympathetic caretakers.To her credit,she bore all that without complaint or bitterness.I wonder how many of us would behave like that if we were going through even half her pain.
The moral of the post: Listen to the meek and mild
For they too have their own story.
This post is dedicated to a young child who was an example of how one bears trial by fire with grace.
Doctor Witch
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