Hubris and Nemesis

I was thinking that the Hippocratic Oath was too one-sided, in that it demanded too much of doctors, but offered them little protection.

But perhaps I was wrong.

The Greeks were a smart bunch of people, and perhaps Hippocrates foresaw the state we would be in today all those centuries ago, and gave us this warning:


If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practise my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

(Notice that the SMC Physician's Pledge does not contain an equivalent clause.)


Perhaps the colleagiality and blameless conduct demanded in the Oath were in themselves the best protection doctors could have against attacks on our profession.

Perhaps what our profession needs is not 'progress', but a regression to a more traditional ethos, when we saw colleagues as brothers instead of competitors, and patients as vulnerable people who needed our help, and not as clients or customers.

Perhaps angry doc is just too philosophical today, after learning that a senior colleague had willfully gone against a policy that compromised patient care, at the risk of his own career advancement.

Perhaps I should just lay off the sherry...