Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the use of the term "hero" has been widespread. This is especially common in the context of healthcare workers and it is now unremarkable to see large banners on hospital exteriors that say "heroes work here". There is more to be gleaned from the rhetoric of heroism than just awareness of public appreciation, however. Calling physicians and nurses heroes for treating sick people indicates something about the concept of medicine and medical professionals. In this essay, I will examine three aspects of the social role of medicine exposed by the language of heroism. One, if a hero is someone who goes above and the call of duty, then does that mean exposing oneself to risk of infection is no longer a duty of physicians (as it used to be)? If so, does that mean the "profession" of medicine is much like any other business? Two, physicians and nurses are not the only "heroes" this go-around. Anyone deemed essential to the US "infrastructure" is designated by the US government as having "special responsibilities" to remain at their posts for the public good, which explicitly puts physicians in the same category as sewage workers and grocery store cashiers. Three, what does it mean to belong to a profession that does (or does not) have self-sacrifice and risk-taking as part of its mission—especially a profession that rarely gets called upon to practice these obligations?

Patrick D. Hopkins

HEC Forum

HEC 论坛是一份经过同行评审的国际刊物，收录了执业医师、护士、社会工作者、风险管理人员、律师、伦理学家和其他 HEC 委员会成员感兴趣的原创贡献。欢迎来自任何相关来源的投稿，但应编写文本以供 HEC 成员和非专业读者欣赏。 HEC 论坛发表论文、研究论文，并包含以下部分： 关于实质性生物伦理/健康法问题的论文 程序或运营委员会问题的分析 文件交流 专题文章 国际视角 MT./ST.匿名：案例和机构政策 点/对位论证 案例审查、分析和决议 主席的“难点”部分 关键注释 卫生法警报 网络新闻 致编辑的信

HEC Forum is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes original contributions of interest to practitioners such as physicians, nurses, social workers, risk managers, lawyers, ethicists, and other members of HEC committees. We welcome submissions from any relevant source, provided that the text is written in a manner accessible to HEC members and non-specialist readers. HEC Forum publishes papers, research articles, and includes the following sections: papers on substantive bioethics/health law issues, analyses of procedural or operational committee matters, document exchanges, thematic articles, international perspectives, anonymous discussions of cases and institutional policies, point/counterpoint arguments, case reviews, analyses and resolutions, the Chair's 

HEC Forum 是一本经过同行评审的国际期刊，专注于执业医师、护士、社会工作者、风险管理人员、律师、伦理学家及其他 HEC 委员会成员感兴趣的原创研究。我们欢迎来自任何相关领域的投稿，文章应以 HEC 成员和非专业读者能够理解的方式撰写。HEC Forum 发表各种类型的论文和研究，包括：关于重要生物伦理和健康法律问题的论文、程序或运营委员会问题的分析、文件交流、专题文章、国际视角、案例和机构政策的匿名讨论、对立论证、案例审查、分析和决议、主席的“难点”部分、关键注释、卫生法律警报、网络新闻及致编辑的信件。

Category	Quartile
哲学	4
哲学, 伦理学	4

Viral Heroism: What the Rhetoric of Heroes in the COVID-19 Pandemic Tells Us About Medicine and Professional Identity

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