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Showing papers by "General Medical Council published in 1984"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the Louvre in Paris one may find a stone pillar on which is inscribed the code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon in the 18th century BC, which included the first clear rules on medical practice.
Abstract: It has been suggested by Siegler (1982) that 'The principle of medical confidentiality described in medical codes of ethics... has become old, worn-out and useless; it is a decrepit concept'. Is he right? In the Louvre in Paris one may find a stone pillar on which is inscribed the code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon in the 18th century BC. This code, which sought to integrate Sumerian and Semitic traditions, included the first clear rules on medical practice. Surgeons were both rewarded and punished by results, depending upon the social status of the patient; e.g. 'If the doctor, in opening an abscess, shall kill the patient, his hands shall be cut off'. If, however, the patient was a slave, the doctor was obliged simply to replace his victim. Confidentiality did not feature. Indeed, the Greek historian Herodotus in his 'History' states that it was the custom in Babylon to lay the sick in the street so that anyone passing by might offer advice. Alternative medicine? Certainly no concern with medical records. Happily, Hammurabi was subsequently superseded by Hippocrates who was content to rely upon an appeal for correct conduct, without threat of punishment. Hippocrates' code for such it was was substantially endorsed in 1948 by the Declaration of Geneva, which was most recently amended in 1983 (World Medical Association 1983). It is noteworthy how relevant this code remains today. What principles did it advocate?

19 citations