About the Hippocratic Oath, as quoted in “I do solemnly swear . . .,” “first, do not harm” is not in it, although it has been said so dozens of times. Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary‘s version of the oath states “. . . never do harm to anyone.” “First, do no harm” (Primum non nocere) has been attributed to Galen, who practiced 550 to 600 years later than Hippocrates.
Stephen Sheffrey
Ann Arbor, Mich.
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