Do you know when the first prototypes of modern hospitals appeared? And why did the tsarist life doctor be canonized? And is he aware of how Greek Father Frost has anything to do with healers? Why is IVF considered sinful, heard? Can you guess what is common between doctors and priests?
If I was more or less able to answer the second and last questions in the affirmative, about the rest, neither with sleep nor with spirit. Meanwhile, all these topics are closely related. And they are directly related to the round table, which took place on March 26 in the Gubkin eparchy. Among those invited are ministers of the church, a lot of medics and a little bit of journalists.
The topic is quite serious: “Church and medicine: ways of interaction in modern society”. But, disassembled "by the bones", it turned out informative and fascinating.
Pro intersecting straight lines
The fact that in a healthy body – a healthy mind, everyone heard. But the priests believe that this “health formula” lacks another component: the soul. And imagine, spirit and soul are not the same. However, a person can truly be healthy if both the mortal body, and the immortal soul, and the spiritual fulfillment of the physical shell are in harmony.
– If the body suffers, the soul, too, is not in place. And if something is wrong with the soul, then the body does not find a place for itself, says Vladyka Sofrony.
It is believed that doctors are responsible for the health of physiology, and priests – for the soul. And that these "straight lines" do not intersect. By no means. Moreover, in the union of physicians and priests there is no contradiction, and those and others act for the good of man.
“Colleagues,” Archpriest Yevgeny Sapsay addresses the dean of the 1st Gubkinsky Okrug to doctors. – Your profession is also sacrificial. Like us, you also have no holidays. And we cannot, having come home, and, having removed a robe or a dressing gown, will automatically cease to be a doctor or priest. We can not afford to pass by someone else's misfortune.
Then the rector of the Transfiguration of the Savior Cathedral turned to history. And it turns out that among the doctors there were quite a few who combined the service of science and medicine with the service of God. And among the "secular" doctors there are those who are canonized …
About the ancient "fast" …
The brightest example is St. Luka Krymsky. Russian and Soviet surgeon, scientist, author of works on anesthesiology and purulent surgery, doctor of medical sciences, professor; winner of the Stalin Prize of the first degree. And at the same time the victim of Stalin's repressions, spiritual writer, doctor of theology, archbishop. And practically our contemporary. It's all about him, about Valentin Feliksovich Voyno-Yasenetsky, St. Luke of Crimea. As you can see, no contradiction. "Direct", that is, faith and medicine crossed. He did the surgery and called on the surgeons to pray before such an important task as he did. And he believed that doctors are obliged to think not only about the body and how to cure it, but also about the soul. For the dispensation of God is stronger than the scalpel.
And if you plunge into the “affairs of bygone days,” such examples are enough. Recall at least Basil the Great. The man who received a good (for 300 AD) medical education, elected archbishop of Caesarea. It is to him that we owe the prototype of modern hospitals. He built a town, in the center of which stood a temple and a house for priests, and next to it were several buildings, for each then-known illness, one each. Edakie medical offices. There was also an infectious disease of its own, a leper colony for lepers (it was there that Basil the Great himself cared for the sick). He also thought that there were horses with carts for the delivery of patients. What is not an “First Aid” of that time? By the way, for kindness and mercy in Greece of sv. Basil is often called Santa Claus. People remembered good deeds!
Although if you turn to the Russian classics, you should not count on it.
– In “Uncle Vanya”, Dr. Astrov asks the nanny if people will remember how he treated and cared for them. To which a wise old woman replies that she does not. But the Lord – without fail! – cited the example of Chekhov, the chief doctor of the Gubkin Central District Hospital, Irina Krotova.
… and saint leib-medic
… Another amazing doctor – Yevgeny Botkin. The son of the most famous Sergei Botkin, after whom the hospital is named. But no less famous, and Evgeny Sergeevich, who devoted his life to medicine and service to people. “First of all, patients should be loved, and only then treated. A friendly mood can help better than potions and pills, ”he believed. Did not tolerate charlatans and gossip. He had the courage not to accept the hangover pet of Empress Rasputin. Being a lab doctor of the last royal family, he, having the opportunity to avoid being shot, did not do this (unlike the other doctor). Until the last day I stayed with the sick cesarevich. And when the Bolsheviks read the order for the shooting, he stepped forward, defending the emperor. He was a doctor, and he died as a saint. In his last letter, Yevgeny Botkin wrote: “If faith without works is dead, then works without faith can exist, and if one of us joins affairs and faith, then this is only God's special mercy to him … This justifies my last decision, when I did not hesitate to leave my children as orphans in order to fulfill my medical duty until the end, as Abraham did not hesitate at the request of God to sacrifice his only son to him. ” For this humanity and sacrifice later, Yevgeny Botkin is canonized (a small film about the life of Botkin was shown at a round table).
Director Natalia Kasyanova: Yevgeny Botkin.
About the sinfulness of IVF and donation
But besides the holy physicians, there are more earthly things that unite the fathers of the church and doctors. IVF, abortion, organ transplantation in a living person, whose brain is dead, euthanasia, donation … All this is considered a sin in the ROC. Orthodox doctors agree with them. Yes, and non-Orthodox position is ambiguous.
Why is donation a sin? “Not everyone,” corrects Yevgeny Sapsay. And only if you donate blood for money. But if this money is given to the needy, it is no longer a sin.
– And take IVF. It seems to be a good thing – to help a woman get pregnant. Then why do we treat this negatively? – continues the rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral. – Yes, because only a part of the existing embryos are transferred to a woman, and those that are not useful, die in a test tube.
With abortion everything is clear. And it's not just a murdered, unborn baby. For one woman, an abortion did not pass without a trace. Not for the body, not for the soul. And the fact that abortion is in the compulsory health insurance system … well, my dear, this is no good. This, I'm sorry, is not a medical service (if there are no contraindications), not a healing of the disease, but a real murder.
And sometimes doctors refuse this procedure. But the bosses often presses: there is a plan. But, fortunately, in the Belgorod region it is not. Vasily Potavava, in the oblum, recalled at the time that there is a law exempting the doctor from the operation for ethical reasons.
“Both we and the doctors help fight drug addiction, alcoholism, care for the sick, discourage abortion, work in hospices. We have a lot in common, and we do one thing, – concluded Evgeny Sapsay.
Irina Krotova agreed with the abbot, adding that today's meeting is important:
– We communicate with different patients, including Orthodox, there are a lot of them now. And you need to be able to speak the same language with them. Of course, all the reforms that are underway are necessary, we still live in the 21st century. But behind them you need not to lose spiritual meaning. Without this, it will not be possible to become a good doctor. We have Divine Providence, Providence of service to man. I’ve been in healthcare for a long time and, believe me, if a person is not ready to help others all his life, to take upon himself the suffering and problems of others, he has nothing to do in medicine. Here you listed St. Luke, Botkin, but now there are associates. For example, Dr. Lisa, colleagues, traveling to hot spots working in palliative medicine. They are driven primarily by mercy. I am not a hypocrite, I understand that money is very important, but it is much more important for us to understand that we did not come to this profession for nothing.
It is necessary to do everything possible for the impossible to be done by God.
… About why in the post you can eat meat and should not reach fanaticism, we will tell in the near future. And we'll share the recipes of lenten dishes from the chef of the Gubkin diocese. Subscribe to the Gubkin.city newsletter in order not to miss interesting events.