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.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
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)
