Prudence: essential virtue in the field of health

Abstract

Prudence is very necessary in daily life and it is often necessary to cultivate it. His teaching has been emphasized since the Greek classics. We wonder if enough is taught at home, at school, during the study of medical sciences and we appeal to Haynes, Pellegrino and Maio in search of virtues, acts and clinical habits that link prudence with ethics and humanism. Prudence is all practical knowledge applicable and suitable for the direction of customs. In Greek it is called “fronesis” and in Latin it is called “prudentia”. Reference is made to the man who foresees, who knows in advance, who acts with cautious knowledge, the foresighted, reflective man.1–3 The Royal Spanish Academy defines it in three ways: Temperance, caution, moderation; Sanity, good judgement; and Cardinal Virtue that allows to distinguish good from bad.4