Stuck on the “First, do no ___” (physician’s maxim) crossword clue from NYT Crossword published on January 3 2022? We’re here to help you solve it.
This challenging clue requires careful thought. Our verified solution is ready for you below.
The Verified Answer for “First, do no ___” (physician’s maxim) is:
- HARM
Useful hints for “”First, do no ___” (physician’s maxim)” Crossword Clue
Hint 1: Clue Explanation
▼OK, so “‘First, do no ___’ (physician’s maxim)” should not be a particularly tricky clue for HARM, but I’m a bioethicist in my day job, and it felt like I’d be doing a disservice to my profession if I didn’t at least highlight this clue. Commonly misattributed to the Hippocratic oath, “primum non nocere,” or “first do no HARM,” is in fact from a different element of Hippocrates’s corpus. It urges clinicians to avoid harm and maximize benefit, encapsulating the bioethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. This concludes today’s bioethics lesson! (Also, side note, I once saw one of the fastest solvers in the world answer an identical clue by speed-writing HRME instead of HARM, effectively knocking himself out of the tournament, but solidifying our friendship through the shared experience of not doing well that day.)