| This paper evaluates the effects of Judeo-Christianity on the practice of Western medicine and demonstrates that while the scientific and technological aspects of medicine continue to advance, the ethical practice of medicine has devolved to the ancient pagan practices of abortion, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The growth of medical ethics, which began with Hippocrates, would ultimately be based upon the life, teachings and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The interaction and influence of philosophy and theology upon the development of science and medicine in ancient civilizations, early Christianity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Age of Enlightenment, the Modern Era and the Postmodern Era will be described. |
