When Doctors Kill - by Joshua A Perper & Stephen J Cina (Paperback)

About the Book

Physicians are generally viewed as caring and compassionate members of society, dedicated individuals charged with healing the helpless. The public is invariably fascinated when one of the "good guys" turns bad. When Doctors Kill: Who, Why, and How examines health care professionals involved in serial killings, unethical human experimentation, and mass murder. The moral quagmire involved in the practice of modern medicine, including abortion, "mercy killings", and euthanasia, are also discussed.

Book Synopsis

It would come as no surprise that many readers may be shocked and intrigued by the title of our book. Some (especially our medical colleagues) may wonder why it is even worthwhile to raise the issue of killing by doctors. Killing is clearly an- thetical to the Art and Science of Medicine, which is geared toward easing pain and suffering and to saving lives rather than smothering them. Doctors should be a source of comfort rather than a cause for alarm. Nevertheless, although they often don't want to admit it, doctors are people too. Physicians have the same genetic library of both endearing qualities and character defects as the rest of us but their vocation places them in a position to intimately interject themselves into the lives of other people. In most cases, fortunately, the positive traits are dominant and doctors do more good than harm. While physicists and mathematicians paved the road to the stars and deciphered the mysteries of the atom, they simultaneously unleashed destructive powers that may one day bring about the annihilation of our planet. Concurrently, doctors and allied scientists have delved into the deep secrets of the body and mind, mastering the anatomy and physiology of the human body, even mapping the very molecules that make us who we are. But make no mistake, a person is not simply an elegant b- logical machine to be marveled at then dissected.

From the Back Cover

Some readers may be shocked by the title of this book, and some may wonder if it is necessary to raise the uncomfortable issue of killing by doctors. Killing is clearly antithetical to the Art and Science of Medicine, which is geared toward easing pain and saving lives rather than smothering them. Nevertheless, doctors are people too. Physicians have the same genetic library of enabling qualities and defects as the rest of us, but their vocation places them in a position where both good practice and bad practice can be exercised. The book begins by presenting the background against which medicine came into being and the forces that molded the social, psychological and professional profile of healers. It continues with profiles of infamous serial killer physicians throughout the world; some "practiced" over a hundred years ago, others in recent decades. There is a discussion of mass murdering physicians who chose dictatorship or terrorism over healing. Not-so-mad, but highly sadistic physician/ scientists will also be under their microscope. There is a discussion of high-profile cases, and the authors raise the specter of the first genetic homicide - murder by means of chromosomal manipulation. They also the authors also share their thoughts on some of the ethical issues facing physicians today and examine the gray areas between Medicine and Law. The book concludes with a look at current fashions and trends in medicine. Complementary medicine and alternative therapies may have brought relief to many patients, but they have also resulted in disability, suffering, and death. Through the review of a few high profile, drug-related fatalities, the celebrity-physician relationship will be explored. Finally, the authors examine how the doctor is portrayed in fiction and why medical professionals are featured so prominently on television. Dr. Perper and Dr. Cina have a combined medical experience spanning 60 years. As forensic pathologists, they witness death daily andhave investigated hundreds of murders. They accept that most doctors are a force for good, but their book contains accounts of horrible atrocities and features descriptions of graphic murders committed by healers. By shining a cold light on the risks patients face today given the wide array of treatment options, the authors aim to accurately relay the circumstances of when, how, and why doctors kill.

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"This is a slim volume that still packs a lot of punch. ... it covers doctor-caused deaths in a wide variety of contexts, including deliberate murder, malpractice, assisted suicide and euthanasia, medical experimentation, even doctors who became dictators ... . this book would appeal to people with a range of interests. It covers historical events as well as some very recent ones, such as the Fort Hood shooting and Anna Nicole Smith's death." (Goodreads, August, 2010)

"It covers the bases from historical killers (Jack the Ripper-- doctor or not?) to Sam Sheppard ... . the book ultimately sacrifices depth for scope ... depending on what you're looking for. ... Overall, the book is fact-filled; full to the brim with facts, in fact. You'll feel positively overwhelmed after reading it ... . The book is well-indexed, so tracking down a particular bit of information is pretty easy to do. It's well-organized as well." (Goodreads, August, 2010)

"'When Doctors Kill' by Joshua A. Perper, MD and Stephen J. Cina, MD - Medical ethics defines the organizational strategy to the chapter discussions. ... I thoroughly enjoyed the book ... . as a reference work this book would make for excellent adjunct study in a course on medical ethics." (LibraryThing, August, 2010)

"Do you want a detailed view of the twisted doctors through history who killed innocent men, women, and children? Do you crave a depressing litany of torture and death inflicted upon the blameless over the centuries? Then this is the book for you. ... This is a thorough and well written review of fictional doctors who turn into killers." (David E. Hoekenga, The Internet Review of Books, December, 2010)