“First, do no harm.” (“Primum non nocere.”)

THE FAMOUS ALLEGED DOCTORS’ OATH: “First, do no harm.” (“Primum non nocere.”)        Commonly attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460 B.C. - c. 377 B.C.)        It is widely — and wrongly — believed that this phrase was written by Hippocrates and is part of the “The Hippocratic Oath” that doctors take. In reality, the Hippocratic Oath was written by the early followers of Hippocrates, not by Hippocrates himself. Moreover, the phrase “First, do no harm” (“Primum non nocere” in Latin) does not appear in the original version or modern versions of the Hippocratic Oath and there is no legal requirement for doctors to take this oath, though it is a tradition at most medical schools.

THE ALLEGED ALTERNATE OATH OF SOME DOCTORS: “First, do no harm. Second, leave no wallet with anything other than a condom in it.”        From a post by the anonymous author of The Enlightening Nonsense blog        His view on the high fees charged by some physicians and medical clinics

AN ECO-MINDED BUDDHIST’S CODE: “First, do no harm; second, do what you can to relieve suffering. It’s bound to be a slow process and is part of what the Dalai Lama has called ‘ethics for a new millennium.’” Everyone must take responsibility for the well-being of the planet.”        Arnold Kozak        From Kozak’s Buddhism, The Everything Buddhism Book (2011)

A NINJA’S CODE: “The rule is: first, do no harm; second, never make a challenge; third, never turn down a challenge.”        Ashida Kim         Marshal arts code in Kim’s book The Invisible Fist: Secret Ninja Methods of Vanishing Without a Trace (1998)

A TYPICAL POLITICIAN’S CODE: “The doctor’s code is, ‘First — do no harm.’ The politician’s code is, ‘First — go on television.”        Guillermo Del Toro, with co-author Chuck Hogan        Said by the character Dr. Barnes, in their modern vampire novel The Strain (2009)

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