Ethics and Homeopathic Medicine

"It is the eternal struggle between these two principles - right and wrong. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time and will ever continue to struggle."

-   Abraham Lincoln

Since the inception of mankind the subject of right and wrong has perturbed many a souls. Irrespective of the basic field this issue of righteousness was extended to every profession. Medical Science has fallen in and out of its favor innumerable times.

According to Margaret Mead when this concept of ethics was introduced: "For the first time in our tradition there was a complete separation between killing and curing".

What do Ethics mean?

The word ethics is derived from Old French 'ethiques' and Greek 'ethika', refers to the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the conduct of the members of a profession.

In medical profession, popularly known as medical ethics it addresses to the study and practice of application of moral values and principals to medicine.

It is difficult to decide the demarcation between 'Right practice' and 'Wrong Practice'. What may seem right to one may be wrong for another; so a need for a proper documentation of Medical Ethics was felt by physicians as early as the times of Hippocrates.

Time and again many medical bodies and institutions have given a definite set framework for it. The basic pattern of all is the same regarding maintenance of ideal Doctor-patient relation, preserving the code of secrecy, avoiding negligence in duties, avoiding violating the morals of community and honoring our teachers and traditions.

Homeopathic bodies have too framed ethical code of conducts for practitioners of the system. Different countries/states/registers have their own codes with minor differences but their motive is the same, "establish and maintain standards of practice of Homeopathy by encouraging integrity and responsibility in the practice of homeopathy".

It is important for health and growth of individual as well as his system of practice that he follows these 'ethical practices. As vital as they may seem it won't be strange to find the issue being neglected by some of us. In order to instill in the minds of all of us the importance of 'Code of Conduct' we have decided to discuss some important information on the subject.

The Hippocratic Oath.

The Physician's Oath.

Homoeopathic Practitioners Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Code of Ethics. (Central Council of Homoeopathy. India)

I hope it would help all of us in understanding its importance and hence abiding it. Other than these we have in this issue Gina Tyler's article Want to get Your child vaccinated? Know the Truth; Dr. Prabhat Tandon's article on Obsessive Compulsive Neurosis; Dr. Rajneesh Sharma's article on Hirsuitism and Natural History of Diseases by Dr. Reshu Agarwal. With just a brief introduction we present to you the September Issue of Homeopathic Horizon.

Happy Reading