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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 January 2010
International humanitarian law, whose purpose is to attenuate the evils of war, has been intimately bound from its earliest days to doctors and all others whose mission in life is to heal—the noblest of all professions. The fact is that this law originated from the need to make up for the deficiencies of military medical services and protect those wounded in war. Since then, the law has gone far beyond that framerwork and has extended its protection and solicitude to many other victims of conflicts and also, in peacetime, to victims of day-to-day life—sick people. An essentially medical element was the basis of the law, and continues to be a major element, referred to by some as “medical law”.
Address at the conference on «The Right to the Protection of Health» (Turin, 20–22 May 1983), under the auspices of the Institute of International Humanitarian Law of San Remo.
page 193 note 1 DrSoubiran, André: Napoléon et un million de morts, Paris, 1969.Google Scholar
page 202 note 1 In international terms, we may recall the principles of medical ethics embodied in the Oath of Geneva of 1948, adopted by the World Medical Association, a revised version of the Hippocratic Oath, and the International Code of Medical Ethics, which completed it. A new draft code is currently under consideration by the World Health Organization. In addition, in 1957, the ICRC, the International Committee of Military Medicine and the WHO drafted “Rules of medical ethics for wartime,” and the World Medical Association adopted “Rules to assure relief and services to the wounded and sick in times of armed conflict.”
