Relating Hippocratic and Christian Medical Ethics

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom A Cavanaugh
Keyword(s):  
Medical Ethics ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Medical Ethic ◽  
Good Samaritan

Abstract This article articulates the Hippocratic medical ethic found in the Oath and the Christian medical ethic as exemplified in the parable of the Good Samaritan. It proposes that the Oath has a natural-law-based deontological character (as understood by Aquinas) that governs friendships of utility (as understood by Aristotle) between student and teacher and physician and patient. The article elaborates on the Samaritan’s conduct as exemplifying Christian agapeic-love. It contrasts agapeic-love with friendship-love, while noting that the Samaritan relies on friendship-love (as found between the Samaritan and the innkeeper) to realize agapeic-love towards the robbers’ victim. It concludes with noting that the grace-based Christian medical ethic perfects the nature-based Hippocratic ethic not by destroying it, but, rather, by employing it.

scholarly journals Violation of Moral Values in Bernard Shaw’s "The Doctor’s Dilemma"

Lexicon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaryliani Sukma Gustariana
Keyword(s):  
Medical Ethics ◽  
Medical Treatment ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Medical Ethic ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
The Social ◽  
Stage Directions

The Doctor’s Dilemma is known as a tragic play which has become a success and has been reproduced several times. This play has moral values concealed within it. This study aims to find out the moral actions, the reason for Bernard Shaw’s skeptical perception towards physicians, and to learn the circumstances of medical treatment in the early 20th century by analyzing the preface, dialogues, and stage directions in the play. This study basically adopts a combination of mimetic and expressive approaches which regard The Doctor’s Dilemma as the expression of Shaw’s idea and portraits of medical and social life in early 20th century. The analysis is focused on the violation of medical ethics and social norms because they are the dominant in the play. The results of the analysis are the failure of the physician characters in the play to keep their oath as medical attendants because they violate five of eight general duties based on the medical ethic. Then, it is also found out that several characters do not obey the social norm, such as being dishonest, and doing some actions to pursue their personal benefits.

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