Review of The Virtuous Physician

Bassey Anthony Akpan · Post by **Bassey Anthony Akpan** » 14 Sep 2024, 16:10

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Virtuous Physician" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr..]

5 out of 5 stars

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"The Virtuous Physician" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr. narrates the medical history of the Hippocratic Oath and the prevailing political and cultural events before, during, and after its adoption, with a sense of moral inquiry. The book probes the concept and interpretation of Precepts, which define the art of medicine and the virtuous physician. It highlights the horrifying impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on humanity and medical practice. In this book, ancient medical codes of ethics are juxtaposed with modern realities, giving them a perfect blend between today's society and practice. This book provides a brief examination of several Greek texts for the ideal physician and analyzes the impact of various civilizations and religions on the practice of medicine at some point. The author brings his experience as a teacher of Latin and Greek to bear in his interpretation of the pseudo-Hippocratic Greek text, Precepts. The Hippocratic Oath is attributed to Hippocrates and defines the medical code of conduct and values that medical doctors should swear to uphold, some of which border on morality and professionalism. It had some inherent Greek religious influences, although several parts of the texts had been edited for convenience.

The Oath of Hippocrates highlights certain codes of conduct for euthanasia and assisted suicide and how physicians should treat a patient traumatized by illness. Pythagoras and later Hippocrates made significant contributions to medicine, but at the time, medical practice was almost inseparable from religion. It was a mantic practice of incarnation, prognostication, and magic, according to the author. The author included a translation of the traditional Oath of Hippocrates based on the collated text of W.H.S. Jones, in such a candid way assists learning. This book highlights four areas of medical ethics, including autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. The author agrees and disagrees with certain aspects of the translation of Precepts into English one hundred years ago by the renowned classicist W.H.S. Jones. Find out the areas of contention as you read this book.

In this book, the author criticizes the Hippocratic Oath as having become trite, trivialized, and superficial. Certain elements of the Hippocratic Oath, including the creed related to surgery and abortion, have outlived their significance, and hence, I agree with the author that it contains certain weaknesses. These weaknesses become even more visible as surgery becomes inevitable in certain medical procedures, as well as abortion, especially when the life of the mother is at risk. One thing I liked about this book is the analysis of the influences of several civilizations, including Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Babylon, on medicine.

The book contains the original texts of the Hippocratic Oath, which we can all learn from. The interpretation of the Precepts by the author throws more light not just on his professional background but on his mastery of the Greek language. I have not found any negatives in this book. This book enjoys exceptionally flawless editing. I have not found any errors therein. It is for the above reasons that I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for unraveling several hidden aspects of medical practice that are begging for adjustment. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks medical knowledge and others who are interested in medical history.

******
The Virtuous Physician
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Gerry Steen · Post by **Gerry Steen** » 15 Oct 2024, 22:20

Bassey Anthony Akpan wrote: ↑14 Sep 2024, 16:10 [Following is a volunteer review of "The Virtuous Physician" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr..]

5 out of 5 stars
Share This Review

"The Virtuous Physician" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr. narrates the medical history of the Hippocratic Oath and the prevailing political and cultural events before, during, and after its adoption, with a sense of moral inquiry. The book probes the concept and interpretation of Precepts, which define the art of medicine and the virtuous physician. It highlights the horrifying impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on humanity and medical practice. In this book, ancient medical codes of ethics are juxtaposed with modern realities, giving them a perfect blend between today's society and practice. This book provides a brief examination of several Greek texts for the ideal physician and analyzes the impact of various civilizations and religions on the practice of medicine at some point. The author brings his experience as a teacher of Latin and Greek to bear in his interpretation of the pseudo-Hippocratic Greek text, Precepts. The Hippocratic Oath is attributed to Hippocrates and defines the medical code of conduct and values that medical doctors should swear to uphold, some of which border on morality and professionalism. It had some inherent Greek religious influences, although several parts of the texts had been edited for convenience.

The Oath of Hippocrates highlights certain codes of conduct for euthanasia and assisted suicide and how physicians should treat a patient traumatized by illness. Pythagoras and later Hippocrates made significant contributions to medicine, but at the time, medical practice was almost inseparable from religion. It was a mantic practice of incarnation, prognostication, and magic, according to the author. The author included a translation of the traditional Oath of Hippocrates based on the collated text of W.H.S. Jones, in such a candid way assists learning. This book highlights four areas of medical ethics, including autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. The author agrees and disagrees with certain aspects of the translation of Precepts into English one hundred years ago by the renowned classicist W.H.S. Jones. Find out the areas of contention as you read this book.

In this book, the author criticizes the Hippocratic Oath as having become trite, trivialized, and superficial. Certain elements of the Hippocratic Oath, including the creed related to surgery and abortion, have outlived their significance, and hence, I agree with the author that it contains certain weaknesses. These weaknesses become even more visible as surgery becomes inevitable in certain medical procedures, as well as abortion, especially when the life of the mother is at risk. One thing I liked about this book is the analysis of the influences of several civilizations, including Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Babylon, on medicine.

The book contains the original texts of the Hippocratic Oath, which we can all learn from. The interpretation of the Precepts by the author throws more light not just on his professional background but on his mastery of the Greek language. I have not found any negatives in this book. This book enjoys exceptionally flawless editing. I have not found any errors therein. It is for the above reasons that I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for unraveling several hidden aspects of medical practice that are begging for adjustment. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks medical knowledge and others who are interested in medical history.

******
The Virtuous Physician
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

I am amazed at how advanced medicine was at the time of the Hippocratic Oath. The foundation for what medicine is today was being laid back then. This book is definitely a good resource to tie in the history of medicine with the medicine of today. Your review was thorough and stimulated my interest in this work. Thank you.

Bassey Anthony Akpan · Post by **Bassey Anthony Akpan** » 02 Nov 2024, 04:12

Gerry Steen wrote: ↑15 Oct 2024, 22:20
Bassey Anthony Akpan wrote: ↑14 Sep 2024, 16:10 [Following is a volunteer review of "The Virtuous Physician" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr..]

5 out of 5 stars
Share This Review

"The Virtuous Physician" by Elliott B. Martin, Jr. narrates the medical history of the Hippocratic Oath and the prevailing political and cultural events before, during, and after its adoption, with a sense of moral inquiry. The book probes the concept and interpretation of Precepts, which define the art of medicine and the virtuous physician. It highlights the horrifying impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on humanity and medical practice. In this book, ancient medical codes of ethics are juxtaposed with modern realities, giving them a perfect blend between today's society and practice. This book provides a brief examination of several Greek texts for the ideal physician and analyzes the impact of various civilizations and religions on the practice of medicine at some point. The author brings his experience as a teacher of Latin and Greek to bear in his interpretation of the pseudo-Hippocratic Greek text, Precepts. The Hippocratic Oath is attributed to Hippocrates and defines the medical code of conduct and values that medical doctors should swear to uphold, some of which border on morality and professionalism. It had some inherent Greek religious influences, although several parts of the texts had been edited for convenience.

The Oath of Hippocrates highlights certain codes of conduct for euthanasia and assisted suicide and how physicians should treat a patient traumatized by illness. Pythagoras and later Hippocrates made significant contributions to medicine, but at the time, medical practice was almost inseparable from religion. It was a mantic practice of incarnation, prognostication, and magic, according to the author. The author included a translation of the traditional Oath of Hippocrates based on the collated text of W.H.S. Jones, in such a candid way assists learning. This book highlights four areas of medical ethics, including autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice. The author agrees and disagrees with certain aspects of the translation of Precepts into English one hundred years ago by the renowned classicist W.H.S. Jones. Find out the areas of contention as you read this book.

In this book, the author criticizes the Hippocratic Oath as having become trite, trivialized, and superficial. Certain elements of the Hippocratic Oath, including the creed related to surgery and abortion, have outlived their significance, and hence, I agree with the author that it contains certain weaknesses. These weaknesses become even more visible as surgery becomes inevitable in certain medical procedures, as well as abortion, especially when the life of the mother is at risk. One thing I liked about this book is the analysis of the influences of several civilizations, including Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Babylon, on medicine.

The book contains the original texts of the Hippocratic Oath, which we can all learn from. The interpretation of the Precepts by the author throws more light not just on his professional background but on his mastery of the Greek language. I have not found any negatives in this book. This book enjoys exceptionally flawless editing. I have not found any errors therein. It is for the above reasons that I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for unraveling several hidden aspects of medical practice that are begging for adjustment. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks medical knowledge and others who are interested in medical history.

******
The Virtuous Physician
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I am amazed at how advanced medicine was at the time of the Hippocratic Oath. The foundation for what medicine is today was being laid back then. This book is definitely a good resource to tie in the history of medicine with the medicine of today. Your review was thorough and stimulated my interest in this work. Thank you.

Thank you for those kind words.