Maimonides, the Great Healer
Reflecting on the life of a man devoted to his patients' well-being.
A
s the Jewish feast of Passover
comes to a close, I am
reminded of the life of Moshe
ben Maimon, better known as
Maimonides. In this day and age of
compliance, regulation, power strug-
gles and insurance hassles, it is
refreshing to reflect upon the life of a
man whose singular purpose was the
well-being of his patients.
Maimonides was a 12
th
Century
medieval Sephardic Torah scholar and
physician. While a venerated Jewish
theologian, he gained widespread
acclaim as a healer and was personal
physician to royal families. A study of
his vocation as a physician reveals
that he was a healer in every sense of
the word.
A deeply spiritual man, his principles
on caring for the sick arguably form
the core of what is now considered
"patient-centered care." Maimonides
regarded health care as the most noble of vocations and advocated a
selfless life of service with the well-being of the patient of foremost
importance. In the holy Prayer of Maimonides it is written: "May no
strange thoughts divert my attention at the bedside of the sick, or dis-
turb my mind in its silent labors, for great and sacred are the thought-
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Cutting Remarks
John D. Kelly IV, MD
There was no room
for egoic battles
between healthcare
team members of who
is right or wrong in
Maimonides's mind.
