What is the Latin for "To help, or at least to do no harm"?

Question

I've searched quite a bit and all I can find is Primum non nocere, which is First, do no harm, but I was looking for the Latin for "to help, or at least to do no harm" which should be somewhere in Epidemics, Bk. 1, but I don't know Latin at all so I can't pick it out. Thanks.

Answer 1

Do you want Latin or Greek? Hippocrates wrote in Greek.

Some translations of what you're asking about are:

As to diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least to do no harm.

...and have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm.

That's from 'Of the Epidemics, Book 1, Section II, 5

A Latin translation of what you wanted would be:

Iuvare aut ad minus non nocere. = To help or at least not harm.

The 'Primum non nocere' may have been a translation from Hippocrates, but some sources attribute that to the Roman physician Galen.

Answer 2

I first wanted to translate it literally, but I couldn't find the latin word for ''at least'', so the closest I could get is :

Adiuvere, sed primum non nocere.
That means ''To help, but first not to harm''.

But I think your way (inversion) is better:

Primum non nocere, deinde adiuvere tenta.
That means: First, do no harm, then try to help.

The first one is like a citation, the second one is an advice.

Answer 3

To help is "adiuvo" or "iuvo". I am sorry I don't know any other latin phrase for 'to do no harm' than what u have already found "primum non nocere" which also means "above all do no harm".

Answer 4

"Gerere auxilium,sine quod dannum" it means..Bring Help without doing (if it is impossible) damages ..
I am not sure..I have studied latin 20 years ago..
Francis-Florence_Italy