| Cristina-Magdalena TOTEANU1,2,5,†,*, Alex-Constantin PARASCHIV1,3, Aurelian-Cătălin LECA8, Coralia Adina COTORACI4, Alciona SASU4, Simona Maria BORTA4, Cristiana-Susana GLAVCE5, Suzana TURCU1, Ana Maria Alexandra STĂNESCU2,3,†, Daniela MĂNUC1,3,†, Andrei KOZMA6,7
Abstract: This paper is a review article that analyzes the evolution of medical responsibility, from ancient imperatives to contemporary legal and deontological paradigms. Medical responsibility has transcended the sphere of simple pragmatic imperatives, evolving from the implacable punitive rigor of the Code of Hammurabi to contemporary legal frameworks, reflected in essential normative instruments such as the Nuremberg Code, the Declaration of Helsinki, and the Oviedo Convention. Testimonies and, at the same time, evidence of medical evolution are represented by fascinating discoveries such as the Sumerian tablets dating from the end of the third millennium BC (preserved at the Penn Museum, Philadelphia), which record the earliest known medical prescriptions; the Egyptian papyri Edwin Smith (c. 1600 BC) and Ebers (c. 1550 BC), held respectively by the New York Academy of Medicine and the University of Leipzig; as well as the botanical illustrations contained in the manuscript De Materia Medica by Dioscorides, preserved in the Library of the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. This evolution attests to the transformation of the medical act from a simple provision of services into a legal and ethical commitment to life, with the legislative framework becoming the primary guarantor of patient safety. At present, medical responsibility extends beyond the narrow framework of the obligation of means (which does not guarantee the attainment of a favorable outcome of the medical act), emerging as a normative pillar that recalibrates the balance between techno-scientific progress and the imperative of protecting the fundamental rights of the individual. The paper argues for the necessity of reconfiguring moral responsibility, shifting the emphasis beyond the sphere of sanctions toward a preventive perspective centered on ethical leadership and systemic optimization. In conclusion, the ethical architecture, grounded in scientific integrity and aligned with a partnership-based model of care, constitutes the invisible capital of public trust — an indispensable premise for the sustainability and effectiveness of any reform within the healthcare system Keywords: medical ethics, public health, professional ethics, medical responsibility, biomedical evolution. DOI 10.56082/annalsarscibio.2026.1.167 Read full article 1School of Advanced Studies of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania. 2„Dr. Carol Davilaˮ Central Military Emergency University Hospital, Bucharest, Romania. 3University of Medicine and Pharmacy „Carol Davilaˮ, Bucharest, Romania. 4„Vasile Goldișˮ Western University of Arad, Romania. 5„Francisc I. Rainer” Institute of Anthropology, Bucharest, Romania. 6„Alessandrescu-Rusescu” National Institute for Mother and Child Health, Bucharest, Romania. 7Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest, Romania. 8„Saint Lucaˮ Hospital for Chronic Diseases, Bucharest, Romania. |
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Biology,
ISSN ONLINE85 – 4177
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