A MEDICO-RELIGIOUS ANALYSIS OF EXODUS 1:17-20 AND LESSONS FOR THE NIGERIAN MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS

Abstract

The interaction between medicine and religion can be traced to a distant time in human history. Medicine has contributed to human society by proffering medical panaceas to health-related issues that can jeopardise man’s existence. Medicine became necessary as man became vulnerable to health crises and problems that require medical attention. Man has been living based on medico-religious insights from the Old Testament period. For instance, in Isaiah 38:21, Prophet Isaiah instructed the servant of Hezekiah on a medicine that could cure his master. However, the practice of medicine was also evident in the Exodus passage, where midwives were seen upholding medical ethics beyond sanctions and strict orders. This paper examines the medico-religious analysis of Exodus 1:17-19 and lessons for Nigerian medical practitioners. The study is domiciled in multidisciplinary research, employing historical, descriptive, and interpretive methods, drawing insights from biblical studies, medical ethics, and religious perspectives. It was discovered that the midwives upheld the sanctity of life, which is derivative of both medical ethics and religious consciousness, despite the embargo placed upon the male children of the Israelites. Therefore, the paper recommended that Nigerian medical practitioners should circumnavigate a complex ethical landscape with an obligation to preserve life and uphold their professional integrity.