[The Hippocratic Oath]

The impact of Hippocratic Oath on medical practice is universally recognized. However, some physicians raise questions about its validity and few medical schools use it in graduation ceremonies. It is postulated that this oath does not harmonize with present bioethical concepts and that the principles of beneficence, lack of harm, autonomy and justice, elaborated by Anglo-Saxon philosophers, would do so. The Hippocratic Oath contains these principles and many others, such as gratitude, compassion, justice, honesty, humbleness, sanctity, integrity, confidentiality, fidelity to the bond, and respect for human life and dignity. These are ethical values that apply to modern dilemmas in medicine. As a whole, the oath expresses an ideal of medical behavior and a life project. It must be interpreted in the context of ancient Greek culture and history. Some uncertainties about its relevance are due to a lack of understanding of its exceptional content of values. Modified versions of the oath or original texts presumptuously pretend to replace a document that has lasted 2500 years and that meant a revolution, not only to medicine, but for all mankind. Students should have the opportunity to analyze its content and the way its values are related to concrete situations of present medical practice. Medical schools should shelter it without objections, as the expression of a reflexive compromise acquired by physicians during their studies and to be applied in medical practice.