Daily Prayer of a
Physician: 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 the
German philosopher Immanual Kant, and physician to the great English
philantropist 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."
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