Critical Review:Doctor and Torture-Tokyo Declaration

After World War II, and especially after the famous Nuremberg Trial, involvement of doctors in human torture came to light. Various international bodies like UN, WMA, Red Cross, realized the extent of this problem. These bodies from time to time brought forward several charters to protect humanity against torture, cruelty and degrading treatment from the hands of doctors. Duty of doctor as per Hippocratic code of ethics is not to use professional knowledge to harm humanity. Regretfully doctors are still involved in torture, having forgotten the fundamentals of Tokyo declaration –A doctor must not for any reason, take part in the practice of torture as the role of doctor is to relieve distress of his/her fellow person.