| DEFINITIONS
"Health"
... according to the World Health Organization:
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". ... according to the Holy Father:
"Health ... far from being identified with the mere absence of illness, strives to achieve a fuller harmony and healthy balance on the physical, psychological, spiritual and social level. In this perspective, the person himself is called to mobilise all his available energies to fulfil his own vocation and for the good of others".
(Message for the 8th World Day of the Sick, 11 Feb. 2000) "Christian"
"Who professes faith in Jesus Christ"
The common references of catholic and non catholic Christians are not only the Old and the New Testament of the Holy Bible, but also an important part of the tradition, and of the centuries spent together.
There is also a hope that the spirit of Assisi will enlarge this common basis.
In the multi-religious and multi-cultural society in which we live, the spirit of Taizé and Assisi - of openness towards the other religions - allows Christians to start more easy dialogue with the patients and medical staff of other cultures. PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Scientific and technical identity
Medicine until Jesus
Medicine existed since the oldest times in Egypt or Greece. Its links with religion were always important.
They were still important not only in the Leviticus, but at the time of Jesus: the patients with leprosy or ulcer had to be shown to the priests.
Only the Doctors, the Midwives, and the Pharmacists already existed at the time of Jesus.
With Hippocrates (460-370 BC) natural causes to the diseases began to appear. | Health care words in the Bible | Old Testament | New Testament | | Number of pages | 925 | 250 | | Disease, disability | 67 | 32 | | Medication, medicine, balm, poultice... | 8 | 2 | | Take care... | 10 | 2 | | Cure, heal, recover... | 41 | 54 | | Doctor, physician | 10 | 4 | | Pharmacist | 1 | 0 | | Midwife | 3 | 0 | | Surgery, surgeon | 0 | 0 | | Nurse | 0 | 0 | Medicine after Jesus
Medicine progressed slowly during the middle ages, and it was said to have become "adult" only two centuries ago. It was experimental with Claude Bernard (1813-1878), and became scientific with Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), who precisely identified the causes of several infectious diseases.
More and more medical specialisations developed then, and at the end of the XIXth century the religious orders in the hospitals began to be replaced by nurses. New health care professions and specialisations began to appear, such as dentists, anaesthetists... Last fifty years
During the last fifty years the progress of science and medicine was very important, and the average duration of life considerably increased. The diagnosis part of Medicine became much more accurate, but required more and more sophisticated techniques. The treatments became more and more efficient, and more and more precisely determined by studies. All heath professions must regularly update their knowledge.
The "medical art" is now made of a lot of knowledge, of intuition in the matters not yet scientifically debated, and of course of the quality of the relationship with the patient. | Health care workers at the beginning of the XXIst century | | More than 120 professions or specialized fields
Physicians: general private or hospital practice,
- 28 medical specialities + 15 surgical specialities
- 10 biological specialities + medical research
- 8 specialities in medical imaging and investigations
Dentists: general private or hospital practice
- 7 specialities
Pharmacists: general private or hospital practice,
- 10 biological specialities + pharmaceutical research
- pharmaceutical industry
Other professions
- care: > 12 professions (chiropractors, midwives, nurses...) or nursing specialities
- rehabilitation: > 5 professions
- equipment: > 5 professions
- technical aid: > 4 professions
- hospital management ...
... | Nurses, and other health care professions
They represent now 50% of the health care personnel in a country such as France. Their studies last three years, and there is a fairly selective examination before admission. They may specialise in different fields.
Other health care professions have appeared (physiotherapists, radiographer, lab assistants, speech therapists...). All these professions need more and more scientific and technical knowledge. Scientific and technical identity: Conclusion
A real competence has become necessary for all types of health care personnel, without which there is a risk to be handed over one day to a law court.
A bishop said recently "I prefer to be treated by a competent doctor from an other religion, than by an incompetent Christian". To be a competent doctor, surgeon, or nurse, brings the possibility to be more charitable towards the patient. Ethical identity
Some doctors will choose scientific research with the essential concern of understanding more the mysteries of life. Research is both the discovery and the understanding of God's creation, and the possibility, by a new knowledge, to create new techniques and new remedies.
But most health workers will be everyday near their patients. The Hippocratic Oath
For them, the Hippocratic Oath, which intervenes at the level of the relationship of the doctor with his patients, his teachers, and his colleagues, is an important date of medical history. The most "modern" parts of it remain
- the part about the medical secrecy ("things which one should never divulge outside, I will keep to myself"),
- and the one about the respect of life ("I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy"). The position about "euthanasia" and "abortion" is already clear in this oath. The arrival of Jesus Christ
The arrival of Jesus Christ - more than 2000 years ago - his concern of the sick, the disabled, the poor, and those who suffer, and the model of his life, suffering man himself, up to the feeling of having been forsaken by all, even by his father ("Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani") radically changed the relationship between the doctor - or his assistants - and the patient. It was no more ruled by a code of good manners, but became a recognition of the person who suffers, through the face not only of the healing Christ, but of the suffering Christ. The religious orders
During centuries, members of religious orders practised health care professions (which, in those times, were not already supposed to exist). The first step of the service of the sick - or of the poor - was the love given to them, following the teachings of the Gospel: "Not every one who says to me 'Lord, Lord!' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in Heaven" (Mt 7, 21), and of course the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10, 30-37)
The arrival of structured health care professions will come later. Bioethics
Bioethics appeared after World War II, and the nazi barbarity. The Declaration of Geneva in 1948 reasserts a good part of the Hippocratic Oath, but insists on the respect of life ("I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of its conception, even under threat"). The word "Bioethics" appeared, even later.
It is now obvious that Science is progressing faster and faster and that ethical reflection must follow quite closely . It is becoming almost a daily challenge for the Christian reflection. | The Declaration of Geneva, 1948 | | This text was agreed at the 2nd General Assembly of the World Medical Association in 1948.
At the time of being admitted as a Member of the medical profession
• I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
• I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due;
• I will practise my profession with conscience and dignity;
• The health and life of my patient will be my first consideration;
• I will respect the secrets which are confided in me;
• I will maintain by all means in my power, the honour and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
• My colleagues will be my brothers;
• I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient;
• I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of its conception, even under threat.
• I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity;
• I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour ..... | CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
Witnesses of Jesus Christ
Our Christian identity is our ability to be the witnesses of Jesus Christ, not only in our profession, but in our whole life, through
- Our Faith, which gives us strength and reliability in front of the often difficult situations we meet.
- Our Hope, which should allows us to go beyond all despairs.
- Our Love of those who suffer. We are the relay of the Love of Jesus Christ - Man himself - who accepted his own suffering, and helps us to reach the outposts of Charity.
- Our Prayer: not only the Prayer the Lord taught us, prayer of all Christians, which is at the first rank of our prayers, but also the prayer we may live daily in our work in finding on the face of our patients, the image of the suffering Christ.
- It is also the Gospel of which we are the bearers: "Go, and teach all nations ..." Problems of Christian identity
There is a decrease of priestly vocations in the Western Countries, and a decline of the recruitment in our catholic associations. Is the scientific and technical progress incompatible with Faith and piety, or is this affluent society becoming folded upon itself? The Christian "label" may be difficult to wear, and a robust dose of Faith is needed not to be afraid of other peoples' glance and judgments. The Associations of Catholic Nurses, Pharmacists, and Doctors
They are the expression of a common and spontaneous will of the health care personnel in the assertion of their catholic or christian identity. The recruitment of these associations is variable according to countries. FIAMC, FIPC (International Federation of the Catholic Pharmacists), and CICIAMS (International Committee of Catholic Nurses and Medico-Social Assistants) are represented on all the continents. In some countries, where the Christians are a small minority, they are proportionally very well represented and numerous in their associations. In some traditionally Christian countries (essentially Europe and America), the level of representation is proportionally weaker. This can bring us to wonder about the quality of our message, and about the authenticity of our Christian life. TO BE "GOOD SAMARITANS"
After Jesus Christ himself, and his exemplary life, many saints and good Samaritans have shown us what a Christian identity is. Among them: Our patron saints
- St-Luke (the third evangelist, first Century), patron of the physicians,
- St-Cosmas and his brother St-Damien (selfless physicians martyrised at the end of the third Century), patrons of the physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, and midwives
- St-John of God (1495-1550, who created a religious order), and St-Camille of Lellis (1550-1614, who created the religious order of the Camillians), patrons of the disabled, the sick, the nurses, and the hospitals. Good Samaritans
Some belong to the health care personnel
- Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who organised in England the profession of nurse
- Dr Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965): son of a protestant minister, protestant minister himself, organist (wrote a book on J.S. Bach), professor of theology, left everything to become a physician, went to Lambaréné (Gabon) in 1913 were he created a hospital, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Some did a lot for the sick and the poor
Among them:
- Henry Dunant (1828-1910), was disturbed by the lack of care for the wounded during the Battle of Solferino in 1859, founded the Red Cross, and was cowinner of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
- Raoul Follereau (1905-1977), apostle of the leprous
- and of course Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), who was awarded the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, and whom some of you may have known.  CONCLUSION
• Importance of the scientific and technical level
• High level of human qualities
• The Faith may strengthen these qualities
(Albert Einstein, when he was at school, was not very good in mathematics, but very pious)
• The Saints should be our guides
• The meetings of our associations should help us to progress. |
