Having just entered the enchanted world of medical school, I am in the delightful disposition of sifting through endless articles of the ethics of science and drawing brash conclusions from them. It was a fortunate coincidence (or perhaps divine providence) that I had recently completed a week course of religious discourses (with a focus on Islam) and am now able to apply that new perspective to an old debate. Though I have previously focused on what is considered hard science, I am going to peer down at this from a new lens. The hope is that I will set a foundation for what is sure to be a tumultuous course ahead.
To quote Julie Andres, “Lets start at the very beginning:” day 1 of medical school.
I don’t think anyone would doubt that every American medical student has been exposed to the Hippocratic Oath (the pledge of ethical allegiance by doctors). How many, however, have encountered “The Prayer of Maimonides,” a Hebrew prayer recited by physicians before seeing a patient. The relevance of this piece in this discussion is not so much its message, but rather, its historical context. A quick blib from our professor informed us that Maimonides was a Jewish philosopher who lived in Cairo from 1166 onwards. Though this date may be unfamiliar to the masses, a little investigative research indicated that it falls during the Fatimid Period, a period of religious freedom in Egypt. This period is also referred to as the Golden Age for Ismaili Muslims. Growing up in the United States, there is rarely mention of the vast contributions in science, literature, medicine, architecture, etc that Muslims have invested the global bank of knowledge, and it was refreshing to see it recognized. It begins to indicate our acknowledgment of the diverse society in which we engage in. Let us move beyond religion from a micro scale and discuss it from it as a search for truth.
The second peace of literature discussed came from a reputable and award-winning immunologist Lewis Thomas, M.D. (1932-1993). Here is an excerpt from his 1962 article “The Meaning of Science in Medicine.”
Like it or not, if man continues, as he will, his ceaseless and, on balance, almost infallible inquiry about everything related to himself, he may eventually, a thousand years or more from now, see God as whole and clear as Augustine hoped to. It may not look like God, and perhaps other names will at first be given to Him, or a Number, or a Code. But everything will have derived from Him, and He will contain all the meaning of things.
Whether you are religious or believe in some greater truth, it is undeniable that this is the prevailing belief of modern day. How to conform or dissipate that view is quite another story.
Perspectives are evanescent. The search for them is incessant. The ability to search is everything.
As we continue to engage in medicine from the field of sociology, my writing will have those biases, but it will not be too long before a mention of pulsating veins and firing neurons resurface.
