Humanitext Reader

Hippocrates · Hippocratic Oath §1

Oath to the Gods and Medical Ethics

Passage 1 of 1 · Greek

Summary

Known as the Hippocratic Oath, this text outlines the ethical code for physicians, including swearing by the gods of medicine, duties to teachers and their families, and ethical guidelines such as preventing harm to patients and maintaining confidentiality.

§1## ΟΡΚΟΣ. Ὄμνυμι Ἀπόλλωνα ἰητρὸν, καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν, καὶ Ὑγείαν, καὶ Πανάκειαν, καὶ θεοὺς πάντας τε καὶ πάσας, ἵστορας ποιεύμενος, ἐπιτελέα ποιήσειν κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ κρίσιν ἐμὴν ὅρκον τόνδε καὶ ξυγγραφὴν τήνδε· ἡγήσασθαι μὲν τὸν διδάξαντά με τὴν τέχνην ταύτην ἴσα γενέτῃσιν ἐμοῖσι, καὶ βίου κοινώσασθαι, καὶ χρεῶν χρηΐζοντι μετάδοσιν ποιήσασθαι, καὶ γένος τὸ ἐξ ωὐτέου ἀδελφοῖς ἴσον ἐπικρινέειν ἄῤῥεσι, καὶ διδάξειν τὴν τέχνην ταύτην, ἢν χρηΐζωσι μανθάνειν, ἄνευ μισθοῦ καὶ ξυγγραφῆς, παραγγελίης τε καὶ ἀκροήσιος καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἁπάσης μαθήσιος μετάδοσιν ποιήσασθαι υἱοῖσί τε ἐμοῖσι, καὶ τοῖσι τοῦ ἐμὲ διδάξαντος, καὶ μαθηταῖσι συγγεγραμμένοισί τε καὶ ὡρκισμένοις νόμῳ ἰητρικῷ, ἄλλῳ δὲ οὐδενί.
THE OATH. I swear by Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia, and Panacea, and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant: To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my own parents, and to share my life with him, and to make a share of my goods with him when he is in need; and to regard his offspring as equal to my male brothers, and to teach them this art, if they should wish to learn it, without fee or covenant; to impart a share of oral instruction, lectures, and all the other learning to my own sons, and to those of my teacher, and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have been sworn according to the medical law, but to no one else.
Διαιτήμασί τε χρήσομαι ἐπ᾿ ὠφελείῃ καμνόντων κατὰ δύναμιν καὶ κρίσιν ἐμὴν, ἐπὶ δηλήσει δὲ καὶ ἀδικίῃ εἴρξειν.
I will use regimens for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment, and I will keep myself from harm and injustice.
Οὐ δώσω δὲ οὐδὲ φάρμακον οὐδενὶ αἰτηθεὶς θανάσιμον, οὐδὲ ὑφηγήσομαι ξυμβουλίην τοιήνδε· ὁμοίως δὲ οὐδὲ γυναικὶ πεσσὸν φθόριον δώσω.
I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if asked, nor will I advise such a counsel; and similarly I will not give a woman a destructive pessary.
Ἁγνῶς δὲ καὶ ὁσίως διατηρήσω βίον τὸν ἐμὸν καὶ τέχνην τὴν ἐμήν.
In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.
Οὐ τεμέω δὲ οὐδὲ μὴν λιθιῶντας, ἐκχωρήσω δὲ ἐργάτῃσιν ἀνδράσι πρήξιος τῆσδε.
I will not cut, indeed not even those suffering from stone, but I will yield to men who are practitioners of this work.
Ἐς οἰκίας δὲ ὁκόσας ἂν ἐσίω, ἐσελεύσομαι ἐπ᾿ ὠφελείῃ καμνόντων, ἐκτὸς ἐὼν πάσης ἀδικίης ἑκουσίης καὶ φθορίης, τῆς τε ἄλλης καὶ ἀφροδισίων ἔργων ἐπί τε γυναικείων σωμάτων καὶ ἀνδρῴων, ἐλευθέρων τε καὶ δούλων.
Into whatever houses I enter, I will enter for the benefit of the sick, remaining free from all intentional injustice and mischief, including both other things and sexual relations with both female and male bodies, whether free or slave.
Ἃ δ᾿ ἂν ἐν θεραπείῃ ἢ ἴδω, ἢ ἀκούσω, ἢ καὶ ἄνευ θεραπηΐης κατὰ βίον ἀνθρώπων, ἃ μὴ χρή ποτε ἐκλαλέεσθαι ἔξω, σιγήσομαι, ἄῤῥητα ἡγεύμενος εἶναι τὰ τοιαῦτα.
Whatever I may see or hear in the course of treatment, or even outside of treatment in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken abroad, I will keep silence, holding such things to be unutterable.
Ὅρκον μὲν οὖν μοι τόνδε ἐπιτελέα ποιέοντι, καὶ μὴ ξυγχέοντι, εἴη ἐπαύρασθαι καὶ βίου καὶ τέχνης δοξαζομένῳ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐς τὸν αἰεὶ χρόνον· παραβαίνοντι δὲ καὶ ἐπιορκοῦντι, τἀναντία τουτέων.
Now if I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored among all men for all time; but if I transgress and swear falsely, may the opposite of these things befall me.

Notes

  1. p.628ἵστορας ποιεύμενος — The participle ποιεύμενος (Ionic for ποιούμενος, middle voice) means "making (the gods) for oneself." ἵστορας (plural accusative of ἵστωρ, "witness") functions as a predicate accusative, yielding the translation "making them my witnesses."
  2. p.628ἡγήσασθαι — An aorist infinitive, the first in a series of infinitives dependent on the leading verb ὄμνυμι (I swear), defining the content of the covenant (to do something). The subsequent infinitives κοινώσασθαι, ποιήσασθαι, etc., share the same syntax.
  3. p.630εἴρξειν — A future infinitive from εἴργω (to keep away, prevent). The omitted subject is "I". It can be interpreted either intransitively/reflexively ("to keep myself from harm and injustice") or transitively ("to keep [the sick] from harm and injustice"). Here, it is consistently translated in the sense of keeping oneself from doing harm.
  4. p.630ἐκχωρήσω δὲ ἐργάτῃσιν ἀνδράσι πρήξιος τῆσδε — ἐκχωρήσω means "to withdraw, yield." The dative ἐργάτῃσιν ἀνδράσι ("to men who are practitioners/laborers") acts as the indirect object, while the genitive πρήξιος τῆσδε ("from this practice/work") denotes separation. This passage is highly significant as it reflects the division of labor between physicians and surgeons (lithotomists) in antiquity.

Cite this passage

Hippocrates, Hippocratic Oath §1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0627.tlg013.humanitext-grc1:1

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