# Hippocratic Oath **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661 "2005-02-11T22:31:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YPOD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e99b99/32.png) [@YPOD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YPOD)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661/1 "2005-02-11T22:31:24Z")
Do all doctors and medical professionals take the Hippocratic Oath around the world? Would someone in China say take it? ---
**Author:** ![Sevo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sevo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661/2 "2005-02-12T00:16:55Z")
> [@YPOD](#): > > Do all doctors and medical professionals take the Hippocratic Oath around the world? Would someone in China say take it? I can’t actually speak for doctors in other nations, especially a place like China where medicine (as an art) has a vastly different history and philosopy. The Hippocratic oath, being greek in origin, is likely known primarily to the Western world. That being said, not all doctors even in the United States take it, though most do. The truth is that there is no “official” version of the oath and no requirement to take it at all. It’s simply something that most doctors take voluntarily and out of long tradition, usually at commencement from medical school. I’ve actually seen several different versions. In one case, at a religiously affiliated institution, I refused to take the oath with the graduating doctors because they had manipulated it to the point that I didn’t agree with it anymore. Anyway, I believe (others can correct me) that nurses have a version of the oath they take as well. I’m not sure about other health professionals. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661/3 "2005-02-12T01:07:16Z")
No oath taken when I graduated paramedic school. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661/4 "2005-02-12T03:57:51Z")
There was a thread on this about a week ago. The short of it is most medical schools have an oath, but none to my knowledge still use the Hippocratic Oath. It contains some things that are incompatible with modern medical practice: don’t cut people for the stone, don’t charge the sons of other doctors for training, don’t perform abortions using a pessary. ---
**Author:** ![Sevo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sevo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661/5 "2005-02-12T05:00:23Z")
> [@edwino](#): > > There was a thread on this about a week ago. The short of it is most medical schools have an oath, but none to my knowledge still use the Hippocratic Oath. It contains some things that are incompatible with modern medical practice: don’t cut people for the stone, don’t charge the sons of other doctors for training, don’t perform abortions using a pessary. True. No one uses the original. I swear by the physician Apollo…uh… ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hippocratic-oath/289661/6 "2005-02-12T05:32:03Z")
> [@Sevo](#): > > I can’t actually speak for doctors in other nations, especially a place like China where medicine (as an art) has a vastly different history and philosopy. The Hippocratic oath, being greek in origin, is likely known primarily to the Western world. > > That being said, not all doctors even in the United States take it, though most do. The truth is that there is no “official” version of the oath and no requirement to take it at all. It’s simply something that most doctors take voluntarily and out of long tradition, usually at commencement from medical school. > > I’ve actually seen several different versions. In one case, at a religiously affiliated institution, I refused to take the oath with the graduating doctors because they had manipulated it to the point that I didn’t agree with it anymore. > > Anyway, I believe (others can correct me) that nurses have a version of the oath they take as well. I’m not sure about other health professionals. We recited the “Nightingale” oath at graduation, of course, the part about chastity was hard to hear. 😉