Religion must not influence medical practice

The great socialist leader Karl Marx famously said, "Religion ... is the opium of the people," and I agree entirely. Marx and I share similar principles and priorities when it comes to looking after people. We believe that humans are so subdued by their unerring faith in an omnipotent being that they accept the hand life has dealt them. They fail to rise up and fight the real evils in life-poverty, oppression, and disease.

I have deliberately not mentioned if I have any affiliation, past or present, with a secular group, as I think this would cloud the issue concerning my revulsion towards religion. I am not an atheist (someone who does not believe that there is a god) nor am I an agnostic (someone who believes that human beings know nothing of things outside the material world). But why should I need to be anything? Why do we need religious labels? Religions are no more than social clubs; ways to pass some time in the company of people with similar interests. I do not have to defend my absence of religion to anyone; if anything the reverse is true-the pious have to convince me.

The same standard of medical care must be provided equally by all doctors and must be based on evidence and not on personal beliefs

Religion is superstition; an ancient relic of days when human beings had no answers, before science and innovation-when the skies fell on our heads as a sign of the Almighty's rage, or when thunder was Thor bashing on a vast anvil with his mighty hammer. As our civilisation develops and evolves then, as the poet Philip Larkin affirmed, "Superstition, like belief, must die".¹ Religion is fine if people just get on with it, but if their hectoring and pontificating enters a hospital or clinic, then this is unacceptable.

Religion has no place in the practice of any healthcare professional. The same standard of medical care must be provided equally by all doctors and must be based on evidence and not on personal beliefs. I have strong faith in my abilities to follow the teaching that I received at university, that everyone must be treated with equality, respect, and non-judgmental care. All doctors should follow these basic principles regardless of their own faiths, and should not attempt to instil other beliefs into the medical doctrine.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, was the first to separate medicine from religion. He introduced science to medicine and believed that human disease had only natural causes. The medicine which he practised removed the treatment of disease from the hands of the superstitious and religious. Whether or not on graduation you take the Hippocratic oath, we should still hope to emulate this ancient doctor's dedication to treat his patients using logic and reason.

We should not disregard the wishes of our patients, however, even if they seem illogical. Paradoxically, I think that if a patient says no, even if they will die as a result of non-intervention, then that is their decision and their right. Patient's beliefs must be held sacrosanct above clinical judgment, although every attempt should be made to advise them so they can make an informed decision.

Death seems to be a major feature of all religions. The big question is where do we go when we die? Most say some sort of heavenly afterworld, where an all loving God will admit only his followers-that is, those who contributed the most to the weekly collection. All others will be banished to burn with their fellow infidels. Most religions now peddle a more watered down portrayal of this fire and brimstone; too many members were dropping off the subscriptions list. Some faiths believe in reincarnation, that if you lead a good life you move up a rung in the evolutionary ladder before eventually reaching Utopia; if you lead a bad life you end up as a dung beetle. I firmly believe in reincarnation of sorts, and as far as I am aware it is the only evidence based version of our fate as we shuffle off this mortal coil: when we die we all inevitably enter the nitrogen cycle. Whether buried or cremated our remains will feed back into the soil providing nutrients for plant life, animals, and humans in the future. Through this cycle, life on earth will continue until the sun runs out of gas.

In the beginning there was medicine by folklore, anecdote, and witchcraft. Today we must practise evidenced based medicine, free of beliefs that may confuse our clinical judgment. We must keep religion out of medical practice.

Stephen J Goldie, fifth year medical student, University of Glasgow
Email: Stephen_goldie@hotmail.com


studentBMJ 2003;11:393-436 November ISSN 0966-6494

1. Larkin P. Church going. In: Collected poems. 1st ed. London: Marvell, 1988.

       

           

Responses published this month Articles Responses REVIEWS Is chocolate good for you?       Religion must not influence medical practice (November 2003) Naga (September 26, 2004) Read this response REVIEWS Religion must not influence medical practice       Stephen J Goldie (November 2003) Naga (September 26, 2004)       Teacher, Aiims drtknag@yahoo.com If a doctor or any care giver belives and follows the fundamental principles of his own religion( either by birth or by choice or any other means) he/she can surely be the most effective healer. As all religions preach nothing but HUMANISM , one need not shy away from orthodoxy. It is akin to defying the road rules of a given town when you are driving in that town. A staunch christian, muslim, hindu, jew, or a buddist can never retract from his duty to heal a human who does not belong to his caste or faith. By causing deprivation of medical help for the needy one will be violating ones own God or ones own Mother. Just because ther are genocides here and there, time and again in the history one need nottreat religiousness as the unholy reason for all evils. In fact this religious feeling itself is keeping peace, health, a sense of joy from time immemorial in every part of the world. It never matterd which God one worshipped or which scripture one read. It is in believing , reading , worshipping , meditating, and following the doctrines of ones own Faith or religion. Irreligiousness is the cause of Social cancer and all kinds of sociopathy. Oncogenes are like humans who have escaped all regulatory factors and become autonomous, aggressive , greedy and violating rules of life become immortal ultimately causing the death of the individual.