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Skeptical response : was Hippocrates a Christian? If not then why did the oath that bears his name prohibit a doctor from participating in abortion ("I will not
by patrickg_zill 8y ago
Skeptical response : was Hippocrates a Christian? If not then why did the oath that bears his name prohibit a doctor from participating in abortion ("I will not give a woman a pessary to procure an abortion")?
- bildung 8y agoIt's worth noting that the role of women in ancient Greece was barely above that of slaves. BTW the oath also forbids doctors to treat bladder stones (seemingly for anti-competitive reasons?), so all in all it should, as every ancient text, be interpreted in the historical context.
- patrickg_zill 8y agoThe role of women in ancient Greece varied. Spartan women at one time held 40% of all property, and were highly educated and could freely travel, while women in Athens had a lot less rights. The deferral to (what I assumed to be) surgeons seems to indicate specialization rather than being anti-competitive. That is, there was a split between "doctors" and "chirurgeons" or surgeons.