Review of The Virtuous Physician

[Vanessa Alobo]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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This was my first time reading a medical book, and it was a treat. From page one, it is clear that Elliott B. Martin has the knowledge and expertise to write a book of this caliber. His credentials as a triple-board certified physician and the Director of Medical Psychiatry at Newton-Wellesley Hospital solidified the book's credibility. I also found it interesting that he studied Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, giving him a different perspective than most.

While most patients know the Hippocratic Oath to be a universal oath medical professionals have to live by, Elliot digs deeper to understand where it originated and its modern implications. This statement on page X took me by surprise,

“In other words, the Hippocratic Oath has become as trite, trivialized, superficial, and in the end, meaningless, as any other TikTok meme.”

This trivializing of an oath that many patients, myself included, hold to a high standard is concerning.

Chapter 4 stood out to me. It covered the effects of the Hippocratic Oath in a modern context that most people are familiar with. We can even draw parallels between Camus’ work, “The Plague”, and what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This line in the 4th chapter perfectly summarises the serious mismanagement of the pandemic,

“...the disease itself will not have killed or wounded nearly as many people as the lockdown and other restrictive measures meant to curb it.”


The Virtuous Physician will be perfect for anyone interested in knowing how the ancient world influenced modern medicine. It surprised me to read how far back the Hippocratic Oath can be traced. It is, however, not a good book for someone who finds reading medical jargon and philosophical terms cumbersome.

I give the book a rating of four out of five. The Virtuous Physician is an incredibly well-researched book. I deducted a score because I found reading most of the medical and philosophical jargon challenging. Elliot B. Martin does an excellent job of bridging the gap between the ancient medical world and modern medical practices.

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The Virtuous Physician
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