Medical Ethics in Antiquity: Philosophical Perspectives on Abortion and Euthanasia

254 Pages·1985·7.62 MB·English

by  Paul Carrick (auth.)

MEDICAL ETHICS IN ANTIQUITY
Philosophy and Medicine
VOLUME 18
Editors
H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Center for Ethics, Medicine, and Public Issues, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and Philosophy Department, Rice
University, Houston, Texas
Stuart F. Spicker, Center for Ethics, Medicine, and Public Issues, Baylor College of
Medicine, Houston, Texas
Associate Editor
Kevin W. Wildes, SJ., Department of Philosophy, Georgetown University,
Washington, D.C.
Editorial Board
George J. Agich, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Springfield, Illinois
Edmund Erde, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Camden, New
Jersey
Patricia A. King, J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
E. Haavi Morreim, Department of Human Values and Ethics, College of Medicine,
University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee
The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume.
PAUL CARRICK
Department of Philosophy, Temple University, Philadelphia
MEDICAL ETHICS
IN ANTIQUITY
Philosophical Perspectives on
Abortion and Euthanasia
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Dordrecht / Boston / London
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Carrick, Paul, 1946-
Medical ethics in antiquity.
(Philosophy and medicine; v. 18)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Medical ethics. 2. Medicine, Ancient. 3. Abortion-Moral
and ethical aspects. 4. Euthanasia-Moral and ethical aspects. 1. Title.
II. Series.
R724.C354 1985 174'.24 85-1878
ISBN·13: 978·90-277·1915-7 e-ISBN-13: 978-94·009-5235-5
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-5235-5
Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Kluwer Academic Publishers incorporates
the publishing programmes of
D. Reidel, Martinus Nijhoff, Dr W. Junk and MTP Press.
Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada
by Kluwer Academic Publishers,
101 Philip Drive, Norwell, MA 02061. U.S.A.
In all other countries, sold and distributed
by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group,
P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
03-1194-200 ts (pb)
03-1194-100 ts (hb)
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved
© 1995 Kluwer Academic Publishers
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1995
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
For
Carol. Ben. and Jon
Sleep and Death lifting the body of Sarpedon:
Attic red-figured krater. c. SIS B.C.
Medicine heals diseases of
the body; wisdom frees the
soul from passions.
- Democritus, Fragments
Life is short, the art long,
opportunity fleeting, experiment
treacherous, judgment difficult.
- Hippocrates, Aphorisms
For a physician who is
a lover of wisdom
is the equal of a god.
- Hippocrates, Decorum
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD xiii
PREFACE xvii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT xxi
INTRODUCTION xxiii
PART ONE / THE SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC SETTING
1/ THE STATUS OF THE PHYSICIAN 3
Types of Physicians 3
Egyptian Influences 7
The Problem of Licensure 8
The Relationship Between Physicians and Philosophers 11
II / THEORIES OF HEALTH AND DISEASE 15
The Hippocratic Humoral Theory 15
The Democritean Atomistic Theory 24
Plato and Aristotle 25
The Medical Sects 30
The Gale)1ic Constitutional Theory 31
III / ATTITUDES TOWARD DEATH 39
Divine and Chthonic Personal Immortality 40
Natural Personal Dissolution 43
Poetic and Popular Images 46
Plato and Aristotle 49
Epicurean Insights 52
Summary 54
PART TWO / THE RISE OF MEDICAL ETHICS
IV / WHO WAS HIPPOCRATES? 59
Medical Ethics Before Hippocrates 59
The Puzzle of Hippocrates' Identity 63
ix
x TABLE OF CONTENTS
v I THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH 69
The Authorship Question 71
The Prohibition Against Surgery 72
The Covenant Reconsidered 76
The Ethical Code 77
Abortion and Euthanasia 81
The Oath's Date and Origins Reconsidered 87
Medical Etiquette 88
Summary 94
PART THREE / ABORTION AND EUTHANASIA
VI I THE PROBLEM OF ABORTION 99
Preliminary Considerations 101
Contraception 104
Methods of Abortion and Infanticide 107
Midwives 109
Philosophical Perspectives 110
Pythagoras 110
Plato 112
Aristotle 115
Seneca 119
Summary 124
VII I THE PROBLEM OF EUTHANASIA 127
Preliminary Considerations 127
Suicide and Language 127
Types and Methods 131
Philosophical Perspectives 134
Pythagoras 134
Plato 136
Aristotle 141
Seneca 144
Summary 148
VIII I THE PHYSICIAN'S MORAL RESPONSIBILITY 151
Abortion 151
Euthanasia 154
"Do No Harm" 156
Summary 158
TABLE OF CONTENTS xi
IX I CONCLUSION 161
Diverse Medical Ethical Perspectives 161
Physicians and Philosophers 164
Physicians and Patients 166
Physicians and the State 168
X I EPILOGUE 171
Future Prospects 171
A Contemporary Appraisal 174
The Biomedical Revolution 174
Perennial Issues 180
Confidentiality 181
Abortion and Euthanasia 182
Truth-Telling 182
Distribu tive Justice 183
Professional Commitment 185
APPENDICES 187
Appendix A
Principles of Medical Ethics 188
Appendix B
A Patient's Bill of Rights 189
Appendix C
Declaration of Geneva 193
NOTES 195
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 225
INDEX 233