Demon Doctors: Physicians As Serial Killers [Paperback]

Kenneth V. Iserson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2002 | ISBN-10: 1883620295 | ISBN-13: 978-1883620295 | Edition: 1

Describes some of the physicians who, either as individuals or as part of a group, have intentionally killed. Takes a look at societies and medical practices during the past two centuries. All but one chapter begins with a fictionalized account in italics, characterizing the events about to be described. First in this new series. Softcover.

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

The doctor-patient relationship is widely regarded as pivotal in the effective delivery of health care. Its unique features make it a prime example of a locus of confidentiality and trust between professional and layperson. It has symbolic properties that highlight the almost sacrosanct quality of medicine in the public imagination. Breaches of trust in any confidential relationship can generate a distinctive unease. But no matter how cynical we may be regarding the likelihood of deception or corruption in human affairs, the problems that have occasionally afflicted the doctor-patient dyad are cause for particular agitation. When those to whom we entrust our health act utterly against our interests and cause harm or even death, it is unsettling in the extreme. That some have done so deliberately and repeatedly is the stuff of nightmares. For these and other reasons, the subject matter of this book is, to put it bluntly, about as sensational as it gets. Dr. Iserson's timely book cannot fail to grab our attention as he collates details of the murderous careers of doctors whose victims were (predominantly, though not exclusively) their patients. The result is a catalogue of malevolence that would make for singularly chilling episodes in any documentary about the human capacity for cruelty and disregard for others' lives. That the protagonists were persons who had sworn an oath of beneficence only makes their behavior all the more perturbing. That they were able to act with impunity, being in a position to cover their tracks for lengthy periods and evade not only detection but even suspicion, makes the revelations contained in this book seem exponentially more horrific. The litany recited here includes infamous individual cases as well as accounts of the collective and conspiratorial use of medical power in the service of vicious political regimes. Among the individual cases figure the callous misdeeds of Dr. William Palmer, whose crimes were committed primarily for pecuniary motives, and those of Dr. Thomas Cream, who killed patients on both sides of the Atlantic. Possibly the most sinister of these infamous physicians is Dr. Herman Webster Mudgett (alias Dr. H.H. Holmes), whose prodigious sexual appetite and morbid preoccupation with his wish to develop a race of giants led him to torture, kill, and cremate his victims in the basement of his vast Chicago "consulting rooms." Although "Holmes" confessed to killing 27 people, the author estimates that he is more likely to have had as many as 150 victims, justifying his designation as America's "first and most prolific serial killer." Then there is Dr. Linda Hazzard, who transformed an initial idea of "therapeutic fasting" into a lethal starvation diet leading to the death of at least 18 patients and probably many more. More recently, there was the case of Dr. Harold Shipman, who was convicted of 15 killings through the administration of morphine and is now believed, after a thorough inquiry into his activities, to have been responsible for an estimated 215 deaths and potentially dozens more. His case has caused extensive trauma in an already deeply troubled British National Health Service. Alongside the perpetrators of some of the horrors recounted here, even the notorious Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, the first criminal ever to be caught through the use of radio communication, amounts to no more than a minor player. In systematically compiling information about the types of cases described in this book, one must tread a fine line between pursuing legitimate inquiry and dwelling on the luridly absorbing content of the stories themselves. In painstakingly assembling this material, Dr. Iserson has performed a remarkable service, and his style is, for the most part, appropriately measured. Each chapter provides a mainly narrative account of the lives, circumstances, and crimes of the various doctors it covers. Yet, despite the intrinsic fascination of this material, I was left with a sense of dissatisfaction regarding his investigations, and I regret to say that, on balance, the book appears to favor recitations of the stories over more searching scrutiny of causes and potential remedies. There are two principal reasons why the book leaves the reader with a sense of disproportion and possibly lost opportunity. First, the book is limited in its analysis of the psychological, criminologic, and forensic aspects of homicide. Admittedly, some of the events described here occurred many years ago, and some of the perpetrators were arrogantly uncooperative with their interrogators. The reasons for their barbaric actions often remain forbiddingly remote. Nevertheless, the account presented in the final chapter of the possible motivations for acts of this kind is limited, given the considerable volume of forensic research material concerning serial murder that is now available. Second, given the considerable import of these cases, I would have welcomed some discussion of the ethical, organizational, and other important dimensions of the degree of power wielded by doctors. That these practitioners were able to continue their deadly practices unchecked for so long raises formidable questions regarding deficiencies in our systems of oversight and accountability. James McGuire, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2002 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Product Details

• Paperback: 441 pages
• Publisher: Galen Pr Ltd; 1 edition (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883620295
• ISBN-13: 978-1883620295
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kenneth V. Iserson, M.D., MBA, FACEP, FAAEM, FIFEM (1949- ) born in Washington, DC, migrated to the American Southwest at his earliest opportunity. After nearly three decades as a teacher, clinician and bioethicist at The University of Arizona in Tucson, he is now Professor Emeritus of Emergency Medicine at The University of Arizona, Medical Director (Emeritus) of the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (search & rescue), a Supervisory Physician with Arizona's Disaster Medical Assistance Team (AZ-1), and a member of the American Red Cross disaster response team.

The author of hundreds of scientific articles on emergency medicine and biomedical ethics, he has also authored numerous books. His most popular book, "Iserson's Getting Into a Residency: A Guide for Medical Students," is now in its 7th edition. Another, "Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies?" was cited as one of the best reference books by the New York Public Libraries. His latest book, "Improvised Medicine: Providing Care in Extreme Environments," will appear in December 2012 (McGraw-Hill).

Dr. Iserson now limits his medical practice to global and disaster medicine. In the past few years, he has practiced or taught on all seven continents, including 6 months as Lead Physician for the US Antarctic Program, and work with NGOs in rural areas of Central and South America, Zambia, Bhutan, Ghana and South Sudan. He also runs the www.REEME.arizona.edu Project that freely distributes more than 700 Spanish-language PowerPoint presentations on Emergency Medicine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly professional treatment of a macabre phenomenon., September 28, 2009

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Michael C. Minnich (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Demon Doctors: Physicians As Serial Killers (Paperback)

This extremely well-researched and readable tome describes in detail the murderous careers of fifteen physicians ("physician" defined by the standard of the day) who turned out to be multiple-murdering (and also sometimes raping) sociopaths (my use of that last term). Author Iserson has a very readable style with great attention to detail (when he refers to dollar or UK Pound financial amounts in the past, he always even notes what that amount would be worth in 2002 US dollars!). His one indulgence (which he admits up front) is that, to introduce each chapter that's devoted to a given murderer, he has created a fictional one-to-two-page scenario that illustrates that individual performing one of his murders/tortures. Iserson cannot, of course, have known the exact details of any given event such as this, but he seems to do a good job of "setting the flavor" of the criminal and his/her actions through this literary device. This is a serious academic work, with good footnotes and references, and a decent index. I highly recommend this for anyone who's interssted in this somewhat bizarre (but not as rare as you might think!) phenomenon of "physicians who kill". (Unfortunately, the book is out of print, so can only be found in the used market, where it commands a fair-sized price.)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mass murderers who violated the solemn oath to "do no harm", August 11, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Demon Doctors: Physicians As Serial Killers (Paperback)

Demon Doctors: Physicians As Serial Killers by Kenneth V. Iserson (Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the Arizona Bioethics Program, University of Arizona College of Medicine) is an informed and informative survey and study of physicians who became serial killers. Dr. Iverson addresses such critical questions as how doctors actually killed their patients, whether they share any common characteristics, and if there have been many physician-killers in history. The first volume in a planned series, Demon Doctors profiles eight of the most heinous physician mass murderers who violated the solemn oath to "do no harm" and exploited the patient-doctor relationship for their own nefarious ends. Demon Doctors is recommended for Medical History, Medical Ethics, and True Crime supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.