Topics Medicine

Question How justified is a doctor's decision to practise cosmetics when he had sworn upon the Hippocratic Oath?

Accepted:
September 15, 2011

Comments

The Hippocratic Oath says a number of things, not all of which doctors swear to today (for example, the Hippocratic Oath forbids any kind of surgery). Perhaps you are thinking of the most well-known part of the Hippocratic Oath, that forbids harm. This is regularly interpreted as forbidding "unnecessary harm," e.g. vaccinations hurt, but they are a necessary harm to prevent a greater harm. Cosmetic surgery involves harm to the patient--the pain of surgery and the risks of surgery--so the question is, does it prevent a greater harm? The right people to ask about this is the people who undergo cosmetic surgery--both the ones with successful and the ones with unsuccessful results. They should be fully informed so as to balance the potential harms and benefits for themselves.

Question How justified is a doctor's decision to practise cosmetics when he had sworn upon the Hippocratic Oath? Accepted:September 15, 2011

Question How justified is a doctor's decision to practise cosmetics when he had sworn upon the Hippocratic Oath?

Accepted:
September 15, 2011