Question

Which of the following is one of the promises made by doctors in the Hippocratic oath?

A. Doctors will tell other people about your conditions.
B. Doctors will experiment on patients, even if it is unethical.
C. Doctors will ask their patients questions and make observations.
D. Doctors will treat symptoms, not root causes of illness.

Answer 1

Which of the following is one of the promises made by doctors in the Hippocratic oath?

A.

Doctors will tell other people about your conditions.

B.

Doctors will experiment on patients, even if it is unethical.

C.

Doctors will ask their patients questions and make observations.

D.

Doctors will treat symptoms, not root causes of illness.

C. Is The Answer

Answer 2

The correct answer is D.

The Hippocratic oath is an ancient Greek oath and the first explicit expression of medical ethics. It is still a simbolic ritual for many novel doctors nowadays. It involves promises made by new doctors, for instance, related to confidentiality with the patients (hence, excluding option A) and to the principle of non-maleficence.

This principle of non-maleficence states that it is preferable not to harm the patient to a greater extent, than to do good to him/her. This is established as a barrier to prevent enthusiastic doctors from using treatments only because of trusting on their knowledge and on hunches, without waiting for enough evidence to support their decisions. This is why they can only treat symptoms.