Browsing by Author "Simpson, Andries Johannes"
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- ItemMoral relevance of oaths, declarations and codes in modern medicine(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Simpson, Andries Johannes; Hall, Susan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Oaths, declarations and codes are seen as moral guides to which physicians can subscribe in the daily practice of medicine. Due to events since the Second World War, the World Medical Association was prompted to change the Hippocratic Oath to establish the Declaration of Geneva. In this thesis I ask the question: Are oaths, declarations and codes still morally relevant in addressing the realities of medicine, given the pluralistic belief systems of physicians from a variety of cultural backgrounds? Furthermore I address the following question: Do oaths, declarations and codes have any moral relevance, or are they just documents of a symbolic nature? In answering the central moral question; should the medical profession move away from oaths, declarations and codes and establish a new medical professionalism where more emphasis is placed on virtues, the characteristics and differences of the aforementioned documents are discussed. The consequences of the changes to the Declaration of Geneva are explored on a symbolic as well as a practical level. It seems as if the changes had little effect on the moral behaviour of physicians after 1948. If one evaluates the pledges of the Declaration of Geneva, one can come to the conclusion that it is mostly very difficult to expect of physicians to adhere to these pledges fully and that this document is more of symbolic significance. In conclusion I argue for establishing a new medical professionalism where the emphasis is more on virtues of the individual physician and continued medical education in this regard, at the undergraduate as well as the postgraduate level.