Do No Harm

I swear by Apollo the Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant: To hold you who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with you, and if you are in need of money to give you a share of mine, and to regard your offspring as equal to my siblings in lineage and to teach them this art- if they desire to learn it- without fee and covenant and having taken an oath according to the medical law, but to no one else. I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art. I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of those as are engaged in this work. Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves. What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside the treatment in regard to the life of people, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself holding such things shameful to be spoken about. If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame, among all people for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.
 

Quote:

The Hippocratic Oath, is an oath traditionally taken by physicians, in which certain ethical guidelines are laid out. Several parts of the Oath have been removed or re-worded over the years in various countries, schools, and societies but the Oath still remains one of the few elements of medicine that have remained unchanged. Most schools administer some form of oath, but the great majority no longer use this ancient version, which praises pagan gods, advocates teaching of men but not women, and forbids cutting, abortion, and euthanasia. . . . Some doctors prefer to drop all pretenses of swearing an oath or forcing others to do so, since medical boards and courtrooms are the real forces where unethical conduct is judged today. Following is a listing of the specific promises and a modern perspective . . . To practice and prescribe to the best of my ability for the good of my patients, and to try to avoid harming them. This beneficial intention is the purpose of the physician. However, this item is still invoked in discussions of euthanasia. To never deliberately do harm to anyone for anyone else's interest. Physician organizations in the U.S. and most other countries have strongly denounced physician participation in legal executions. From Wikipedia

Relevance to LOST:

In Do No Harm, a Jack-centric episode, Jack is faced with the difficult task of trying to save Boone's life. Boone's injuries are severe, and Jack finds himself doing whatever he can to try and save him, including giving his own blood to the point of almost passing out, and trying to cut off Boone's damaged leg. The debate over whether Jack's actions were ethical or not stems from promises above.

One promise states that the physician will practice medicine for the good of his patients, and to avoid harming them. Were Jack's attempts to save Boone helpful, or harmful? Boone continued to suffer as Jack tried to save him, unable to let go. At what point does the attempt to save someone cause more harm than good?

It was also suggested that Jack's fear of letting go might have blinded him to the apparent hopelessness of Boone's situation, making Jack's continued efforts to prolong Boone's life more a "harm" than a help, in violation of promise to never deliberately harm anyone for anyone's interest. Jack's fear of letting go was his own "interest", and should not influence the treatment Boone would received from him.