What is the history of medical ethics?

The origins of medical ethics go back thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, during the 27th century BCE, a physician named Imhotep developed a system that promoted the long-held notions that physicians should do good for patients, should never do harm to patients, and should always be truthful with their patients. The same principles were developed over time in Mesopotamia, India, Greece, and in other parts of the ancient world.

A Greek physician named Hippocrates advanced the field of ethics in the practice of medicine, and the Hippocratic Oath––a pledge required of physicians in the ancient world––became the cornerstone of modern medical ethics in the Western world. At various times, further advancements came from Persia, Morocco, China, and Japan, and into modern times with developments from various parts of Europe and the United States.

Medical ethics today has evolved to consider modern-day concerns, but many principles of medical ethics in the modern world––doing good, doing no harm, truthfulness, and others––are the same as those that have been required of physicians for thousands of years.