Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The controversial origin of the Hippocratic oath

Brian Elliott, MD
Physician
March 18, 2023
9 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

An excerpt from White Coat Ways: A History of Medical Traditions and Their Battle With Progress.

So, who wrote this immortal Hippocratic oath: Hippocrates or one of his Hippocratic followers? Though no one knows for certain, the answer is potentially neither. The most compelling evidence for this argument is that the ideals expressed in The Oath do not reflect those in works genuinely attributed to Hippocrates.

Ludwig Edelstein was a professor at Johns Hopkins during the early 20th century and a primary contributor to the understanding of Hippocratic works. He argued that The Oath was likely Pythagorean in nature. (If you are suddenly reminiscing about geometry class – yes, the name comes from the same Pythagoras that developed the Pythagorean Theorem.) Although there is no direct evidence that The Oath was written by Pythagoras, it was possibly written by one of his later followers. The unique ideals expressed in The Oath are compellingly consistent with the ideals of Pythagorean followers and frequently vary from the practice of Hippocratic physicians. Pythagorean ideals were strict. They believed one should only have sex to produce children, even within the union of marriage, and were opposed to abortion, suicide, and surgery, which weren’t generally opposed by Hippocratic physicians. Edelstein’s argument is compelling, but some scholars disagree that The Oath’s true authorship is Pythagorean in nature.

Even conceding this point, Edelstein’s observation that the principles in The Oath are contrary to Hippocratic methods still argues for varying authorship. Though The Oath was written around 400 BCE, there is no copy from that time. The origin date is estimated from later copies and references. The first known reference to The Oath was in the first century BCE by Scribonius Largus, referencing the section on abortion by writing, “Hippocrates, the founder of our profession, handed on to our discipline an oath by which it is sworn that no physician will either give or demonstrate to pregnant women any drug aborting a conceived child.” The Oath didn’t appear as copied text until the third century CE. So, there is essentially no direct text of The Oath from the era of Hippocrates, leaving centuries open for other beliefs to be interpolated into The Oath. William Henry Samuel Jones, an early twentieth-century British author and renowned analyst of Hippocratic works, believed just that. Jones suspected that the section of The Oath forbidding surgical interventions for stones (likely bladder stones) was interpolated into the text from the Roman era. He argues that surgical interventions for bladder stones weren’t even conceived during the era of Hippocrates, and a procedure can’t be banned if it doesn’t exist.

No one knows for certain if Edelstein’s and Jones’s arguments are correct, but these are just a sample of contentions that question the authorship of The Oath. It is tempting to attribute The Oath to Hippocrates, making it an ancient and sacred text handed down by the father of western medicine himself. But when this idealistic view is put aside, and the actual text of The Oath is analyzed, it seems unlikely that Hippocrates wrote The Oath in its entirety.

Brian Elliott is an internal medicine chief resident and author of White Coat Ways: A History of Medical Traditions and Their Battle With Progress.

Prev

From physician to patient: one doctor's journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

March 18, 2023 Kevin 2
…
Next

What causes fainting and how to prevent it during needle procedures

March 18, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
From physician to patient: one doctor's journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury
Next Post >
What causes fainting and how to prevent it during needle procedures

More by Brian Elliott, MD

  • Questioning medical traditions for the sake of patient care

    Brian Elliott, MD
  • What John Snow and cholera tell us about the COVID pandemic

    Brian Elliott, MD

Related Posts

  • The Osteopathic Oath vs. the Hippocratic Oath

    Liz Hills, DO
  • We need a Hippocratic Oath for administrators

    Mark Borden, MD
  • Uphold your Hippocratic Oath by advocating for action on climate change

    Heidi Schoomaker, Haley Probst, and Marcela Betancourt
  • Educating for the oath: a medical student’s lived experience with the hidden curriculum

    Priya Arunachalam, MBA
  • Would a Hippocratic Oath for health care executives make a difference?

    Paul B. Hofmann, DrPH, MPH
  • A medical student’s physician inspiration

    Uju Momah

More in Physician

  • Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine

    Kortney West, MD
  • From license to loneliness: the dilemma of retired physicians

    Richard Plotzker, MD
  • Unlearning our habits: a journey from intelligence to wisdom

    Brian Sayers, MD
  • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

    James Young, MD
  • Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

    Asha Padmanabhan, MD
  • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

    Jack Resneck, Jr., MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician
    • From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine

      Kortney West, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine

      Kortney West, MD | Physician
    • ChatGPT: the Napster of the AI world?

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The missing piece of physicians’ financial plans

      Daniel B. Wrenne, CFP | Finance
    • Counterfeit drugs: a hidden danger lurking in your medicine cabinet

      Emily Kahoud | Meds
    • How understanding cultural backgrounds can lead to better patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From license to loneliness: the dilemma of retired physicians

      Richard Plotzker, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Is Surgery Riskier After a COVID Infection?
  • The Best Medicine for Healthcare Workers: A Living Wage
  • Meat Consumption and UTIs; Air Pollution's Effects on Health
  • 'Early Birds' With Sleep Apnea May Get More CPAP Benefits
  • Mental Health Care Goes Beyond Just the Patient

Meeting Coverage

  • VTE Risk in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Increases With More Lines of Chemotherapy
  • Obesity's Impact on Uterine Cancer Risk Greater in Younger Age Groups
  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

      James Young, MD | Physician
    • Physicians are a finite resource we need to protect

      Jack Resneck, Jr., MD | Physician
    • From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine

      Kortney West, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine

      Kortney West, MD | Physician
    • ChatGPT: the Napster of the AI world?

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The missing piece of physicians’ financial plans

      Daniel B. Wrenne, CFP | Finance
    • Counterfeit drugs: a hidden danger lurking in your medicine cabinet

      Emily Kahoud | Meds
    • How understanding cultural backgrounds can lead to better patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From license to loneliness: the dilemma of retired physicians

      Richard Plotzker, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...