A Paradigm Shift in the History of Medical Ethics: From the Hippocratic Oath to Bioethics

Medicine has applied different ethical rules and standards in the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients since the time of Hippocrates. As the oldest script about the practice of medicine, the Hippocratic Oath promises eight commitments, including the physician’s benevolence, the protection of patients from harm, and the fulfillment of confidentiality. Throughout the process of history, medical ethics has exhibited different transformations through distinct periods. This article briefly examines the history of medical ethics under four periods and highlights their primary characteristics to demonstrate its progressive development. The article reveals that each period – the Hippocratic Oath, Galen ethics, Thomas Percival’s ethics, and bioethics – demonstrates substantial alterations, but the bioethics era shows a paradigm shift by transforming the physician’s benevolence-based focus into an autonomy- and justice-based approach, concentrating on moral conduct toward all beings, including environment, and creating a new powerful academic field. Keywords: Medical Ethics, Hippocratic Oath, Galen Ethics, Thomas Percival, Bioethics