The purposes of this empiric study, literature review, and analysis are to determine the current prevalence of oath taking in medical schools in North America, to compare the content of the oaths in use to that of the classical Hippocratic Oath, and to document changes in the practice and content during this century. From this review and analysis, we hope to make a case for the value of the Hippocratic tradition. An oath is a solemnly worded statement by which a person affirms allegiance to a person, institution, or belief, and promises to observe or avoid certain practices. In the European and Arabic medical traditions, the oath attributed to Hippocrates has been paradigmatic, and it remains the standard against which questionable practice is often measured even today. Although the exact origin of the Hippocratic Oath continues to be the subject of scholarly debate, there is general agreement that it represented a minority ethic when it was first introduced. Most historians and commentators believe the oath and other teachings of Hippocrates slowly evolved into a widely held and dominant “Hippocratic ethic” that has guided the practice of Western medicine for centuries. Jonsen has said,“Modern medicine inherits a long tradition in Western culture.... There is a kind of moral archeology: digging beneath current moral beliefs, values, and practices, one discovers that these are built on ancient foundations not visible to the casual observer.” 1 Many of the precepts, prescriptions, and proscriptions contained in the Hippocratic Oath are still recognized as relevant today. Many content items from that oath are clearly articulated in the “Principles of Medical Ethics” of the American Medical Association and the “Code of Ethics” of the Canadian Medical