Blind Eye: How the Medical Establishment Let a Doctor Get Away with Murder [Hardcover]

James B. Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1999

In 1985, a young doctor named Michael Swango was convicted of poisoning five hospital co-workers in Illinois. Sentenced to five years in jail but paroled in 1987, Swango would work -- and kill -- within the medical community again, escaping detection until lying on a job application on Long Island almost ten years later. His story is a show-stopper that will make any one who hears it think twice before trusting just anyone in a white lab coat.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From the moment he entered medical school in the late 1970s, people around Michael Swango thought he was a little odd. But even though he expounded upon his obsessions with violent death and serial killings to anybody within earshot, almost nobody connected him to the string of deaths among patients under his care. When an investigation finally took place at the Ohio State medical center, hospital administrators sympathized with Swango--against the direct testimony of patients and nurses--and seemed more concerned with how revelations of a murderous doctor might affect their public image than with the safety of their clients. And, remarkably, even after being released from prison in Illinois, where he had been convicted of (nonfatally) poisoning several of his coworkers, Swango was able to obtain positions at hospitals in South Dakota and New York. When American authorities finally started to pursue his case, he fled the country and began plying his trade in Zimbabwe. In June 1998, after being captured during an attempt to reenter the United States, he was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison--on fraud charges related to his employment in New York.

The truly frightening aspect of Blind Eye is not the relentless chain of murders, but the ease with which Swango was able to repeatedly slip through the cracks in the medical system, simply by lying about the nature of his felony conviction. James B. Stewart methodically traces every step of Swango's career, laying out a straightforward narrative with all the suspense of a well-crafted thriller. Although attempts to "explain" Swango's behavior through psychopathology and a historical rise in the incidences of serial killing derail the ending somewhat, Blind Eye is still a must-read for true crime buffs--or anyone who enjoys good journalism. --Ron Hogan

From Publishers Weekly

In a harrowing and exhaustively researched account of neglect by the medical profession, a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor and author (Den of Thieves) presents convincing evidence that alleged serial killer Michael Swango injected a minimum of 35 patients with various toxic substances during the 15 years he was a medical student at Southern Illinois University, an intern at Ohio State University Medical Center and a physician at various hospitals in the U.S. and in Africa. In addition, the author makes a strong case that Swango, who has been described by many as charismatic, was responsible for the severe digestive upsets that plagued his colleagues and friends due to poisoned food and drink. Since Swango has never been evaluated by a psychologist, Stewart relies on the work of medical researchers who view serial killers as psychopathic narcissists. The major strength of Stewart's study, however, rests on his expos? of poor medical monitoring practices. For example, when female nursing personnel linked mysterious patient deaths to Swango's injections, male physicians dismissed their suspicions. Swango was finally sent to prison in 1985 after being convicted of poisoning his co-workers while he was employed as a paramedic. After his release, he found work at other teaching hospitals because they were not required to check with the national practitioners' data bank, a self-monitoring mechanism endorsed by the AMA that Stewart considers inadequate. Currently serving time in prison on fraud charges, Swango faces an FBI investigation for murder. Agent, Amanda Urban; 9-city author tour; TV satellite tour. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 334 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684854848
• ISBN-13: 978-0684854847
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #941,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James B. Stewart is the author of Heart of a Soldier, the bestselling Blind Eye and Blood Sport, and the blockbuster Den of Thieves. A former Page-One editor at The Wall Street Journal, Stewart won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for his reporting on the stock market crash and insider trading. He is a regular contributor to SmartMoney and The New Yorker. He lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Was Dr. Michael Swango Allowed A Second Chance?, August 12, 2000

By 

David Thomson "Second Rate Eric Hoffer Imitator" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind Eye: How the Medical Establishment Let a Doctor Get Away with Murder (Hardcover)

In most instances, writers put together a book about people and events in the past tense. James B. Stewart, though, soon realized after starting this book that he had become an active participant in a drama to stop a murderer from killing again. Stewart had a duty to put a stop to this terror. What might possibly motivate Dr. Swango? The doctor did not seem to financially benefit from these deaths. There is also no evidence whatsoever that Swango was prompted by any misguided humanitarian concerns. Dr. Swango's apparent only motivation is the psychopathic thrill of putting his fellow human beings to death. He seems indifferent and callous towards all suffering. There are strong suspicions that Swango even murdered his loyal wife. A court of law will likely convict Swango in the near future. The questions will still remain, however, concerning the scandalous behavior of the legal establishment that allowed this horror to continue long after it was obvious a serious problem existed.

I was morally and intellectually appalled by an earlier Amazon review by an anonymous "reader from Omaha, N.E.," a medical professional, who had the audacity to charge the author, James B. Stewart, with biased reporting. These comments should be read by all who are trying to understand how Dr. Swango was allowed to continue his criminal behavior for so many years. One should indeed take it for granted that the Dr. Swangos are the exception, not the rule. Most medical facilities probably would not have hired Dr, Swango after his conviction for poisoning his fellow co-workers. That's not the point. Once is enough. The disgrace is that there were not sufficient procedures in place nationally to prevent Dr. Swango from ever again practicing medicine. A single conviction of such magnitude should have ended the career of Dr. Swango in 1985. The following murders resulted from the gross arrogance and incompetence of a medical community concerned primarily in preserving its power and privileges. A democratic society must not allow professional establishments to protect their own regardless of the consequences upon the wider community. Lay people must not be excluded from directly overseeing the behavior of the professionals. The latter deserve respect, but not our unquestioning laissez faire toleration. The recent actions of the American Medical Association in preventing legislation to prevent a reoccurrence of another Dr. Swango is outrageous to say the least. The new motto for the AMA should be "We protect our own, and the general public should go to hell!"

Thank God James B. Stewart zealously pursued this story. The overwhelming probability is that without Stewart's efforts---Dr. Swango would still be killing patients. Many people owe their very lives to Stewart. It would also be sad if this book is merely perceived as a superbly written true story about a particular murderer. "Blind Eye" is also a disturbing commentary how power and cowardice corrupts professional groups who have forgotten that their first duty is to the general public, and not to their own membership.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Page-Turner, July 4, 2000

By 

N. Hochman (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story Of A Doctor Who Got Away With Murder (Paperback)

"Blind Eye" is a very disturbing book. There were several times throughout the book that my stomach was literally in knots due to the overwhelming revulsion and shock that a man like Swango might become a free man this month and return as a member of our society. This is a man who upon his release from prison would most likely have no problem poisoning other individuals that he just doesn't like. Or even poison individuals he doesn't know, just because he can.

I've read all 62 reviews and what I find most interesting is that one of Stewart's themes in the book is how doctors protect their fellow doctors. Of these 62 reviews many of the one-star ratings are posted by individuals who work in the medical field, or are doctors themselves. The five-star reviews are mostly written by people that have no professional relationship to medicine. OBVIOUSLY Swango's situation is unique, and OBVIOUSLY not all hospitals cover-up their internal indiscretions. But what some reviewers seem to be missing is that the point of this book is not to slander the medical industry. "Blind Eye" is the story of a serial killer who happens to be a doctor. While it's unfortunate that several hospitals acted irresponsibly, hopefully this book will open the eyes of administrators who might implement stronger screening guideline and more honest investigations of internal affairs.

While I did not "enjoy" reading this book, I found it an incredible piece of investigative journalism. Stewart is an excellent writer and this is a very important book.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Real life more frightening than fiction, April 16, 2000

By 

Ian Muldoon (Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blind Eye: How the Medical Establishment Let a Doctor Get Away with Murder (Hardcover)

I read this investigative 314 page book in one sitting. If there's a lesson in it, it's that authority figures, such as doctors, suffer pride, envy, lust, just like the rest of us but unlike the rest of us, too often fail to acknowledge their fallibility. It highlights the patriarchal and sexist nature of the American medical profession which, like other parts of society, is not hermetically sealed off from that society. Example: the direct eye evidence of an elderly female patient counts for nothing; the evidence of nurses counts for little; the suppositions and the presumptions of doctors counts a great deal - and so a serial killer doctor continues to practice. Equally frightening is how a number of eminent and respected so called "scientists" of some very prestigious medical establishments chose Dr Michael Swango because they liked the look of him, because he seemed nice. To what extent did Dr Swango achieve his macabre goals because he was the picture of an energetic, white, clean cut, blue-eyed, blonde haired American ex-marine? (The author notes that staff at one mid-western hospital were relieved to find Dr Swango was "english speaking" so many "foreign doctors" had they through their portals).

Although I felt a little uneasy in the beginning of this book at what seemed to be the gossip like approach of the author, about who did or didn't like Michael Swango at school, whose favourite he was at home etc, the beginning serves to draw you in to his life through the eyes of friends acquaintances and relatives so that the real horror of his actions slowly dawns on the reader. In a state approaching disbelief you are witness to a horrible journey. Thanks to the American press and to patients such as Mrs Delbert Cooper Sr and to the author and to the nurses involved the mistakes made can be revealed, and discussed. A tad more humility by some doctors might have helped to prevent a lot of what happened in this story.