About 200 years ago Napoleon Bonaparte had donated to Montpellier in France, a bust of Hippocrates as a token of respect to the work of the great father of medical science. A few days ago another bust of Hippocrates has been placed at Montpellier University, hosting the oldest Medical Faculty in Europe. The bust was donated by the Municipality of Kos, as a symbolic gesture to promote the work and personality of Hippocrates around the world.
“It is a broader initiative taken by the Municipality in 1999. Back then it was decided to donate a bust of Hippocrates to medical faculties of top universities around the world. The first donation was granted to the University of Boston, USA, in 1999. Followed by the donation of a bust to Karolinska University in Stockholm in 2000 and this year the donation of the third bust took place”, stated the Deputy Mayor, Nikolaos Kantartzhs to ANA – MPA.
The reception in Montpellier was warm as the President, Dean and professors at the Faculty of Medicine described the donation of the Municipality of Kos as more important than the one which took place 200 years ago, as it comes from the island that Hippocrates was born and taught. It was also stated that with this initiative the Medical Faculty of Montpellier was “re-baptized” to the principles and ideas of Hippocratic medicine.
The Municipal Authority of Kos is currently working on another proposal regarding the redefinition of Hippocrates’ oath for the first time in 2,400 years.
“Advances in modern medicine, the introduction of new methods and the emergence of ethical dilemmas call for a redefinition of the Hippocratic oath. In this context we could invite all leading doctors in the world to the island, in a world-wide level meeting towards this end”, said the Deputy Mayor of Kos.
The mayor underlined indispensable supporters to this initiative must be the Ministries of Health and Culture and possibly the competent authorities of the European Union, involved in the field of health care.
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