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56 Medico-Legal J. 3 (1988)

handle is hein.journals/medlgjr56 and id is 1 raw text is: THE MEDICO-LEGAL JOURNAL Founded 1901 1988 Vol. 56 Part One THE HIPPOCRACTIC OATH - ITS RELEVANCE TODAY We understand that only one medical school in the United Kingdom requires its students positively to affirm this oath or a form of it as part of their graduation exercises. Yet, every medical graduate is imbued throughout his course with the ethical principles emerging from it. We attempt to focus on those portions of the oath which we believe to apply to modern medical practice, some of which may be under increasing threat from quarters who cannot accept the special position in which medical practitioners bound, albeit informally, by the oath must conduct themselves. The Hippocractic oath as enunciated in the 1947 Geneva declaration contains seven promises to be made solemnly, freely and upon the honour of the subscriber. There is a degree of overlap between some of these which concern the obvious duty of doctors to act always with the welfare of their patients paramount, uninfluenced by considerations such as race, politics and the like. We do not propose to expand upon these. We are however concerned with the requirement of doctors to respect the secrets confided in them. To some, this requirement is possibly rightly taken as being absolute and doctors have on more than one occasion refused to divulge information about their patients even under subpoena and suffered the consequences. Others have deemed it to be their duty to the body public to divulge information gleaned professionally to a degree which is anathema to their more conservative brethren. Where should the middle road lie, if lie it should? Doctors may be required under the terms of the Road Traffic Act of 1972 to assist in the identification of an alleged offender. Likewise, they, like any other citizen are required to provide information which may lead to the apprehension of a person or persons suspected of offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act(s) 1984. Many practitioners are content to limit disclosure of information about patients to the circumstances stated above but

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