The “Golden Age of Medicine” was built upon the foundation of the Judeo-Christian ethic and the Hippocratic tradition. It flourished because of this foundation. Whenever and wherever this foundation has been abandoned, medicine has given way to barbarism and superstition.
The modern age is no different. You can read all about babies being treated like a crop of potatoes in the new science of fetal harvesting; you can read all about women serving as breeders in surrogate motherhood programmes; you can read all about the “new growth industry” of genetic manipulation in test tube baby experiments; you can read all about how the poor serve as guinea pigs in bizarre particle bombardments; or read about handicapped patients facing compulsory sterilisation; or the latest in genetic engineering; or—probably the most frightening of all—the revival of the racially motivated eugenic programmes; and finally, how two Wall Street Journal reporters revealed a tale of deceit and manipulation by the government, the media, and the Centre for Disease Control in order to gain political support for the billions being spent on AIDS research and prevention.
The “Golden Age of Medicine” may be coming to an end. The medical profession is gradually abandoning its Hippocratic tradition and its Judeo-Christian ethical foundation. It is vital that this foundation should be restored.