What if you discovered some useful medical information or invented a breakthrough treatment for an illness but told no one about it — could you justify that The dilemma posed by this question was anticipated more than 2,000 years ago by Hippocrates. His oath for physicians was based on an ethical code of conduct and, with some updating and modernization, is now incorporated into the Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association. That Code says doctors have an affirmative obligation to share their knowledge.
WHY PHYSICIANS WRITE BOOKS
Physicians have an obligation to share their knowledge with other physicians and with the public. When you stop and think about it, this makes sense. From the time of Hippocrates, and even before, physicians have had an ethical duty to share knowledge because by doing so they benefit humanity. Withholding new knowledge, research findings, or useful health information is contrary to the Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association (Section E-9.08). » Read more: Physician Writers and Book Proposals — The Ethical Duty to Publish for the General Public
