 The word virtue (Latin virtus) signifies

manliness or courage.
 Traits of character or habits of
disposition to think and act in ways
that are good
 Doing what is morally right
 From Saint Thomas's entire Question
on the essence of virtue : "habitus
operativus bonus", an operative
habit essentially good
 Used by moral philosophers and
theologians, it signifies a habit
superadded to a faculty of the soul,
disposing it to elicit with readiness acts
conformable to our rational nature.
 Manner of healthcare delivery depends
on the kind of person the healthcare
professional is
I. Intellectual
› Prudence
II. Moral
› Justice
› Temperance
› Fortitude
III. Theological
› Faith
› Hope
› Charity
 Necessary for right action and correct
thinking
 Defined as a habit perfecting the
intellect to elicit with readiness acts
that are good in reference to their
proper object, namely, truth
 from Latin prudentia foresight,
judiciousness, contraction of
providentia foresight
 Virtue which directs on in the choice of
means most apt, under existing
circumstances, for the attainment of a
due end
 ability to judge between virtuous and
vicious actions, with regard to
appropriate actions at a given time and
place
 Considered by St. Thomas as the
cause, measure and form of all virtues
 Father Rickaby aptly renders it as "right
reason applied to practice”
 from the word mos, which signifies a
certain natural or quasi-natural
inclination to do a thing
 Regulates man in relations with his
fellow-men
 Disposes one to respect the rights of
others, to give each man his due
 Adjusting to what is owed to the
specific needs of the person
› Ex. Providing needed care to research
subjects after the research project is
complete
› Providing community benefits from
research
 restrains the undue impulse of
concupiscence (from latin word
concupiscentia meaning a desire for
worldly things) for sensible pleasure
 important tenet of the moral codes of
other world religions—for example, it is
one of the Five Precepts of Buddhism
 practice of moderation
 moral virtue which moderates in
accordance with reason the desires and
pleasures of the appetite attendant on
those acts by which human nature is
preserved in the individual or
propagated in the species
 Temperance is the first virtue that
perfects man’s ability to act well with
one’s self from within one’s self
 Humility
› from the Latin word "humilis", which is
translated not only as humble but also
alternatively as "low", or "from the earth".
› Restrains inordinate desires of one's own
excellence
› "A quality by which a person considering
his own defects has a humble opinion of
himself and willingly submits himself to
God and to others for God's sake”
 St.Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century
philosopher and theologian in the
Scholastic tradition,
› "the virtue of humility" that "consists in
keeping oneself within one's own bounds,
not reaching out to things above one, but
submitting to one's superior" (Summa
Contra Gent., bk. IV, ch. lv, tr. Rickaby).
 According to the words of St. James,
"God resisteth the proud, and giveth
his grace to the humble" (James 4:6).[
 causes man to be brave when he would
otherwise shrink, contrary to reason,
from dangers or difficulties
 a certain moral strength and courage,
is the virtue by which one meets and
sustains dangers and difficulties, even
death itself, and in never through fear
of these deterred from the pursuit of
good which reason dictates
 Allvirtues dispose man to act
conducive to his true happiness
› Faith
› Hope
› Charity
 Infused virtue, by which the intellect is
perfected by a supernatural light, in
virtue of which, under a supernatural
movement of the will, it assents firmly
to the supernatural truths of
Revelation, not on the motive of
intrinsic evidence, but on the sole
ground of the infallible authority of God
revealing
 Hebrews 11:1 which states, "Now faith
is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.“
 Faith is the "evidence" of what
Christians "know" to be true within
their own hearts that has revealed to
them by God.
 To commit oneself to act based on self
experience to warrant belief, but
without absolute proof To commit
oneself to act based on self experience
to warrant belief, but without absolute
proof
 Divinely infused virtue, by which we
trust, with an unshaken confidence
grounded on the Divine assistance
 From St. Paul (Romans 8:24): "For we
are saved by hope. But hope that is
seen, is not hope. For what a man
seeth, why doth he hope for?"
 Theological virtue, by which God is
loved by reason of His own intrinsic
goodness or amiability, and our
neighbour loved on account of God
 love (agape), means an unlimited
loving-kindness towards all others
 Greatest of the three virtues
 Caritas: selfless love
 Deus caritas est : “God is love”
 Comprised of two parts, love of God
and love of man, which includes both
love of one's neighbor and one's self
 Fidelity
 Honesty
 Compassion
 Courage
 Prayerfulness
 Faithfulness to trust and promise
 Trust – basis of relationship of patients
with doctors, students with teachers,
and researchers with research subjects
 Fulfilling the promise to be a patient
advocate
› Benevolence: to intend one’s good
› Nonmaleficence
 Fulfilling
promise of researcher to be a
public advocate
› Seeking good and avoiding harm
› Respect dignity of man
› Obtaining free and informed consent
› Drawing and reporting accurate
conclusions
› Provide truth to the public
 Truthfulness
› Good faith intent to convey truth, both in
words and conduct, to others, as best one
knows it
› Avoid communicating wrong or incomplete
information likely to mislead or deceive
› Ex. Telling a patient and his family the
truth and nature of an illness, prognosis,
benefits and burdens of alternative actions
 › Publishing accurate findings, appropriately
acknowledging contributors and citing
source of support
 Integrity
› Being true to oneself or wholeness
› Congruence between one’s beliefs, words
and actions
› Making choices in line with one’s values
› Ex. Researcher believing subjects should
be respected must strive to protect their
right and make sure all give free and
informed consent
 Feeling for the loss or suffering of an
another with an attempt beyond
obligation to help or avoid that loss or
suffering
 Self-sacrifice voluntarily given for the
benefit of another whose needs are
greater and given with no hope of
return, gain, recognition, or payment
 Compassionate competent care is the
essence of the healing profession
 Ex. Reducing burdens for researcher
and research objects
 known as bravery, will and fortitude, is
the ability to confront fear, pain,
risk/danger, uncertainty, or
intimidation
 moral courage is the courage to
act rightly in the face of popular
opposition, shame, scandal, or
discouragement
 Augustine Waldron. Transcribed by
Barbara J. Barrett. The Catholic
Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Published 1912.
New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil
Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort,
S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal
Farley, Archbishop of New York. URL:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a
.htm
 Wikipedia.
URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue
 The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas
Aquinas
Second and Revised Edition, 1920
 Ethical and Religious Directives for
Catholic Health Care Services, Fourth
Edition. United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, Inc. 2001. URL:
http://www.usccb.org/bishops/directives
.shtml