"Whatever, in connection with my practice, I see or hear in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge it, reckoning that all such should be kept secret."

     The Hippocratic oath has influenced Europe for 2500 years.

     Between AD 581-673, you will know that Dr. Sun Su-Miao, father of medicine in China, discussed the duties of a physician to his patients. The thought is similar in some respects to the Hippocratic oath.

Here is part of it:

     "A great doctor, when treating a patient, should make himself quiet and determined. He should not have covetous desire. He should show mercy on the sick and pledge himself to relieve suffering among all classes. Aristocrat or commoner, poor or rich, aged or young, beautiful or ugly, enemy or friend, native or foreign, educated or uneducated, all are to be treated equally. He should look upon the misery of the patient as his own, and be anxious to relieve the distress, disregarding his own inconveniences, such as night-call, bad weather, hunger, tiredness, etc. Even foul cases such as ulcer, abscess, diarrhea, etc., should be treated without the slightest antipathy...A physician should be respectable and not talkative. It is a great mistake to boast of himself and slander other physicians."

     You will remember that in the Ming dynasty, in AD 1556, Kung Hsin wrote a maxim for respectable physicians, which is very concise:

     "The good physician cherishes kindness and righteousness. He reads widely and is highly skilled in the arts of his profession. He has in his mind adequate methods of treatment, which he adapts to different conditions. He cares not for vainglory, but is intent upon relieving suffering amongst all classes. He revives the dying and restores them to health. Such a good physician will be remembered through endless generations."