Although the phrase that a physician should “either help or do no harm” is thought to come from the Hippocratic Oath, it actually is from a different Hippocratic text, The Epidemics, which is a Latin text originating in the 19th century. The Hippocratic Oath translates to “I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but never with a view to injury and wrongdoing.”
So why should this piece of trivia, have any significance? It is only fitting that the famous phrase, a modern summary of sentiment from the Hippocratic Oath, “first do no harm” comes to mind when contemplating the serious consequences that could result from President Trump’s simple scribble of his signature.
President Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr may be many things (politics aside), but the two things that they are not, are scientists and physicians. Perhaps that is why they feel so comfortable making “recommendations” that have no basis in science and that could ultimately cause significant harm. Our current vaccine schedule is based on years of study and scientific evidence that has resulted in the marked decrease in infectious diseases that were responsible for the deaths of many children and adults in the past. How quickly we forget the devastation of diseases like polio, measles, whooping cough to name a few.
By simple statements made by DJT and RFK Jr, based on hearsay, President Trump’s comments when signing his executive order “recommending” changes to the vaccine schedules were based on “having heard people say things.” WHAT? RFK Jr, by throwing doubt into the safety of the measles vaccine has resulted in the US seeing more measles cases the first seven months of 2026 that all of 2025 and the most cases since 1991.
Why do we follow the advice of people who believe that if they say something enough, it will become true? Why do we put the health of our children in hands of two men with absolutely zero medical knowledge or scientific backgrounds? One of whom has made millions of dollars suing vaccine producers.
And while I am at it, how can Senator William Cassidy be so incensed over this executive order? If it wasn’t for his vote, based on RFK Jr’s promise to not upend the immunization schedule (REALLY), we wouldn’t be in this situation. Senator Cassidy put his political future ahead of the oath he took upon graduating from medical school and look where that got him . Now he is concerned about the havoc being wreaked on our health care system.
New York State Health Commissioner James McDonald issued the following statement.
“This Executive Order doesn’t change New York State’s immunization requirements or recommendations. To be clear: no new research was presented. Vaccines are the best protection for our children and under Governor Kathy Hochul, New York has the strongest public health standards in the country. With measles cases on the rise across the country, now is not the time to confuse the public. The MMR vaccine has been protecting children for over 55 years. Splitting it into three visits offers no clinical advantage and requires children to have more shots and parents to have more office visits while providing no additional medical benefit. Here in New York, we will continue to be guided by the science.”
When all is said and done, we at Lewis Pediatrics will also follow the science and the recommendations by real doctors and scientists and continue to adhere to the immunization schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.