The basics…

I needed some uplift.

And look what I saw hanging distantly on a dusty wall of the basement:

I read it, again. There was a churn, from within. Sometimes it helps to remember the basics—the bottom line, the real meaning, the forest, not the trees or the CPT codes, or the…(many) negative things that draw our hearts, our minds, and our souls from the basics.  At least it helps me.

I liked what the words said.

Service of humanity…Check.

Respect our teachers…Check, no, double-check that one. Thanks to all those who taught (teach) me.

Practice with conscious and dignity. RT!

Serve the patient as the primary master. That’s my blog-er translation. 2000 years didn’t affect the timeliness of this one.

Keep the patients’ secrets a secret. As a patient myself,  I respect this one more and more.

Maintain the honor and nobility of the medical profession. I’d substitute here the caveat that we, as human doctors, need to be judged as humans. Would you rather have a computer, or a highly fallible human looking after you?

The religion, social standing or race of the patient matter not. No comment needed.

Maintain the utmost respect for human life. I do. But here I would also add this entry on how–at least some believe–Hippocrates felt about medical treatment. In this era of almost limitless, sometimes very un-gentle treatment options, this tenet seems apropos:

Hippocratic medicine was humble and passive. The therapeutic approach was based on “the healing power of nature” (“vis medicatrix naturae” in Latin)…Hippocratic therapy focused on simply easing this natural process….In general, Hippocratic medicine was very kind to the patient; treatment was gentle…

And my favorite:

My colleagues will be my brothers and sisters.

So it’s easy to like the basics. I look forward to “work” tomorrow.

And to living long enough to see that our treatments may grow kinder, gentler, and more humble.

JMM