By Janet Raloff
The Hippocratic Oath figures prominently in history and popular culture, especially television dramas. Physicians taking the pledge promise, among other things, to “first, do no harm”–a powerful statement of ethics. A few years ago, the Paris-based International Council for Science (ICSU) decided to investigate whether the global scientific community might benefit from having its own analog to the Hippocratic Oath.
As a first step, ICSU’s Standing Committee on Responsibility and Ethics in Science decided last year to conduct a broad review of existing codes among researchers. Vivian Weil described the project last month in San Francisco at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting.