THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such
knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
[5] I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of
overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and
understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are
[10] needed for a patient's recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know.
Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks.
But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great
humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
[15] I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness
may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I
am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings,
[20] those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection
thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience
the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University, and used
[25] in many medical schools today.
(Source: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oathmodern.html - retrieved on September 24, 2021)
What meaning do the words "outweigh" (line 8) and "frailty" (line 14) respectively give to the sentences in which they are inserted?
