Pantagruelism: A rabelaisian inspiration for understanding poisoning, euthanasia and abortion in the hippocratic oath and in contemporary clinical practice

Contrary to the common view, this paper suggests that the Hippocratic oath does not directly refer to the controversial subjects of euthanasia and abo rtion. We interpret the oath in the context of establishing trust in medici ne through departure from Pantagruelism. Pantagruelism is coined after Rabe lais' classic novel Gargantua and Pantagruel. His satire about a wonder her b, Pantagruelion, is actually a sophisticated model of anti-medicine in whi ch absence of independent moral values and of properly conducted research f ashion a flagrant over-medicalization of human problems. Ultimately this un dermines the therapeutic core of medicine itself. We contend that PAS is a case of such over-medicalization and that its institution creates medicopho bia. This article does not express an opinion about euthanasia in general. Rather, we claim that physicians should learn from the oath and from Rabela is that they should keep their practice to medical care and not to exploit their expertise and social privileges for the sake of ulterior motives, eve n when their patients desire those goals.