Definition of Daily Prayer of a Physician
Daily Prayer of a Physician definition - medical term A prayer that is said to have been written
by the 12th-century physician-philosopher Moses Maimonides. Like the famous oath
of Hippocrates, the prayer of Maimonides is often recited by new medical graduates.
This prayer, which is also called the "Prayer of Moses Maimonides", is now thought
to have been written, not by Maimonides, but by Marcus Herz, a German physician,
pupil of the German philosopher Immanual Kant, and physician to the great English
philanthropist Moses Mendelssohn. The prayer first appeared in print in 1793 which
may be when it was written. Irrespective of who wrote it, it is an extraordinary
prayer. It reads as follows:
"Almighty God, Thou has created the human body with infinite wisdom. Ten thousand
times ten thousand organs hast Thou combined in it that act unceasingly and harmoniously
to preserve the whole in all its beauty the body which is the envelope of the immortal
soul. They are ever acting in perfect order, agreement and accord. Yet, when the
frailty of matter or the unbridling of passions deranges this order or interrupts
this accord, then forces clash and the body crumbles into the primal dust from which
it came. Thou sendest to man diseases as beneficent messengers to foretell approaching
danger and to urge him to avert it.
"Thou has blest Thine earth, Thy rivers and Thy mountains with healing substances;
they enable Thy creatures to alleviate their sufferings and to heal their illnesses.
Thou hast endowed man with the wisdom to relieve the suffering of his brother, to
recognize his disorders, to extract the healing substances, to discover their powers
and to prepare and to apply them to suit every ill. In Thine Eternal Providence
Thou hast chosen me to watch over the life and health of Thy creatures. I am now
about to apply myself to the duties of my profession. Support me, Almighty God,
in these great labors that they may benefit mankind, for without Thy help not even
the least thing will succeed.
"Inspire me with love for my art and for Thy creatures. Do not allow thirst for
profit, ambition for renown and admiration, to interfere with my profession, for
these are the enemies of truth and of love for mankind and they can lead astray
in the great task of attending to the welfare of Thy creatures. Preserve the strength
of my body and of my soul that they ever be ready to cheerfully help and support
rich and poor, good and bad, enemy as well as friend. In the sufferer let me see
only the human being. Illumine my mind that it recognize what presents itself and
that it may comprehend what is absent or hidden. Let it not fail to see what is
visible, but do not permit it to arrogate to itself the power to see what cannot
be seen, for delicate and indefinite are the bounds of the great art of caring for
the lives and health of Thy creatures. Let me never be absent- minded. May no strange
thoughts divert my attention at the bedside of the sick, or disturb my mind in its
silent labors, for great and sacred are the thoughtful deliberations required to
preserve the lives and health of Thy creatures.
"Grant that my patients have confidence in me and my art and follow my directions
and my counsel. Remove from their midst all charlatans and the whole host of officious
relatives and know-all nurses, cruel people who arrogantly frustrate the wisest
purposes of our art and often lead Thy creatures to their death.
"Should those who are wiser than I wish to improve and instruct me, let my soul
gratefully follow their guidance; for vast is the extent of our art. Should conceited
fools, however, censure me, then let love for my profession steel me against them,
so that I remain steadfast without regard for age, for reputation, or for honor,
because surrender would bring to Thy creatures sickness and death.
"Imbue my soul with gentleness and calmness when older colleagues, proud of their
age, wish to displace me or to scorn me or disdainfully to teach me. May even this
be of advantage to me, for they know many things of which I am ignorant, but let
not their arrogance give me pain. For they are old and old age is not master of
the passions. I also hope to attain old age upon this earth, before Thee, Almighty
God!
"Let me be contented in everything except in the great science of my profession.
Never allow the thought to arise in me that I have attained to sufficient knowledge,
but vouchsafe to me the strength, the leisure and the ambition ever to extend my
knowledge. For art is great, but the mind of man is ever expanding.
"Almighty God! Thou hast chosen me in Thy mercy to watch over the life and death
of Thy creatures. I now apply myself to my profession. Support me in this great
task so that it may benefit mankind, for without Thy help not even the least thing
will succeed."
|
|
