UNTITLED
Thesis: A large number of serial killers emerge from the medical profession, and many possessed similar childhood behavior characteristics, pathological reasons for killing and were drawn to the profession so they could kill.
INTRODUCTION
Statistically, serial murders are relatively rare, and make up only about 1% of US homicides per year (“Serial Killing: A Forgotten Phenomenon” 4). Serial killers often grow up in dysfunctional homes and have been abused or neglected as children. They tend to pick strangers for victims and most kill close to home, in an environment they are comfortable in. Serial killers can be classified into four broad types: the missionary, trying to rid the world of evil; the visionary, killing for God or the devil the hedonistic, who gain pleasure from killing; and the power/ control- oriented, who receive gratification from complete dominance over their victims (“Serial Killing: A Forgotten Phenomenon” 4). Doctors who become serial killers usually fall into the power/ control oriented category.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Maurice Godwin; David Canter, discusses about all the number of people that were killed in the United States, for the years 1986-1990. And how there were over 20,000 murders. Then the article goes on to talk about all the different ways, and if police catch, were able to arrested them.
According to Kenneth Iserson, discusses several historical serial killer doctors. It includes the motives these doctors had and how and what they did to their patients. Some were biological agent specialists who experimented on patients, family members and colleagues. It includes graphic detail of some of these doctor’s “torture rooms”, and the ways that they hurt people.
According to Herbert Kinnell, explains that one of the Jack the Ripper suspects was a doctor. It also makes the case that some serial killers are drawn to the medical profession because they like having the power of life and death over people. It also discusses a variety of motives: unethical research, insurance money, and euthanasia.
Julie McDowell, discusses Dr. Harold Shipman, who recently was convicted for killing many of his elderly patients with morphine overdoses. The essay contends that the medical profession has produced the most serial killers. It includes many profiles of previous serial killer doctors.
Katherine Ramsland, wrote an essay that looks at the childhood and personal behavior and development of Joseph Mengele, and how he violated his oath to honor and preserve life. Discusses power issues of life and death.
This Internet essay gives an excellent overview of serial killers and their characteristics. It includes, definitions of different types of serial killers and offers insights into how each type chooses its victims. It also includes how serial crimes are investigated and solved, types of serial killers, and childhood connections to traumatic events that serial killers have in common. It also explains how damaging it is when the media gets caught up in serial killing investigations (“Serial Killing. A Forgotten Phenomenon.” www.uplink.com.au/lawlibrary/doc
Cameron Stark, Brodie Paterson, and Brian Kidd, discusses that members of the medical profession have greater opportunity to become serial killers because they care for weakened people and have access to drugs and other ways to kill. They also discuss their theory that some doctors and nurses have pathological interest in having life or death power over their patients. Doctors often get away with serial killing for years because they sign the death certificates.
Anastasia Touflexis, discusses a profile and interview of a forensic psychiatrist (Park Deitz), who has studied serial killers for 25 years. He is considered one of the topic experts in the country. The article discusses techniques used to identify and catch serial killers. It gives Dr. Deitz’ opinion on the entertainment industry’s contribution to violence. He also speaks about the insanity issues that apply to serial killers.
David Woods, discusses that many doctors do not follow the “ first do no harm” part of the Hippocratic Oath. Some kill for the sheer thrill of it and get away with it for long periods of time. It includes suggestions for legislation and ways to check on doctors who are out of control.
Jeremy Wright and Christopher Hensley, discusses serial murders have been recorded for centuries, but not much academic attention. Different scholars, try to see the motivation and strange phenomenon of becoming a serial killer. They look at 5 different case studies, and at literature review done, about how is children are cruel towards animals, they are more likely to become serial killers.
RESEARCH METHODS
|
Table 1: Death with Dignity Act participant demographics. Based on death certificate data and physician interviews for 129 patients who died after ingesting a lethal dose of medication - Oregon, 1998-2002. |
||||||
|
Characteristics |
2002
|
1998-2001
|
Total
|
|||
|
Age - Median, years (range) |
69 |
(38-92) |
69 |
(25-94) |
69 |
(25-94) |
|
Race |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
White, non-Hispanic (%) |
37 |
(97) |
88 |
(97) |
125 |
(97) |
|
Asian (%) |
1 |
(3) |
3 |
(3) |
4 |
(3) |
|
Sex - Male (%) |
27 |
(71) |
44 |
(48) |
71 |
(55) |
|
Marital status |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Married (%) |
20 |
(53) |
40 |
(44) |
60 |
(47) |
|
Widowed (%) |
7 |
(18) |
22 |
(24) |
29 |
(22) |
|
Divorced (%) |
9 |
(24) |
23 |
(25) |
32 |
(25) |
|
Never married (%) |
2 |
(5) |
6 |
(7) |
8 |
(6) |
|
Education |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less than high school graduate (%) |
4 |
(10) |
10 |
(11) |
14 |
(11) |
|
High school graduate (%) |
15 |
(40) |
28 |
(31) |
43 |
(33) |
|
Some College(%) |
9 |
(24) |
14 |
(15) |
23 |
(18) |
|
Bachelor's degree or higher (%) |
10 |
(26) |
39 |
(43) |
49 |
(38) |
|
Residence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Portland metropolitan area (%) |
15 |
(40) |
33 |
(36) |
48 |
(37) |
|
Other Oregon (%) |
23 |
(60) |
58 |
(64) |
81 |
(63) |
|
Underlying Illness |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cancer (%) |
32 |
(84) |
70 |
(77) |
102 |
(79) |
|
Lung |
7 |
|
17 |
|
24 |
|
|
Pancreas |
5 |
|
7 |
|
12 |
|
|
Breast |
1 |
|
9 |
|
10 |
|
|
Prostate |
2 |
|
6 |
|
8 |
|
|
Ovary |
2 |
|
6 |
|
8 |
|
|
Colon |
2 |
|
5 |
|
7 |
|
|
Other |
13 |
|
20 |
|
33 |
|
|
Other diseases (%) |
6 |
(16) |
21 |
(23) |
27 |
(21) |
|
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis |
3 |
|
7 |
|
10 |
|
|
Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease** |
1 |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
|
Other+ |
2 |
|
7 |
|
9 |
|
|
*Unknowns are excluded when calculating percentages. |
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|
Table adapted from "Five Years of Legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon." N Engl J Med 2003;348:961-4. See http://www.nejm.org. |
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|
Table 2: Demographic and disease characteristics of 21 patients who died during 2001 after ingesting a lethal dose of medication compared with 6,365 Oregonians dying of similar causes. |
||||||||
|
Characteristics |
PAS
Patients
|
Oregon
deaths,
|
DWDA deaths
|
|
||||
|
Age |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25-34 yr. (%) |
2 |
(2) |
142 |
(<1) |
140.8 |
12.2 |
(2.7-55.3)+ |
|
|
35-44 yr. (%) |
3 |
(2) |
762 |
(2) |
39.4 |
3.4 |
(0.9-12.4) |
|
|
45-54 yr. (%) |
10 |
(8) |
2,563 |
(6) |
39.0 |
3.4 |
(1.4-8.1) |
|
|
55-64 yr. (%) |
21 |
(16) |
5,184 |
(12) |
40.5 |
3.5 |
(1.7-7.5) |
|
|
65-74 yr. (%) |
46 |
(36) |
10,610 |
(25) |
43.4 |
3.8 |
(1.9-7.4) |
|
|
75-84 yr. (%) |
37 |
(29) |
14,295 |
(34) |
25.9 |
2.2 |
(1.1-4.5) |
|
|
>=85 yr. (%) |
10 |
(8) |
8,678 |
(21) |
11.5 |
1.0 |
|
|
|
Mean, years |
69 |
|
74 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Race |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
White (%) |
125 |
(97) |
41,159 |
(97) |
30.4 |
|
1.0 |
|
|
Asian (%) |
4 |
(3) |
436 |
(1) |
91.7 |
3.0 |
(1.1-8.1)++ |
|
|
Unknown |
- |
9 |
|
|
|
|||
|
Sex |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Male (%) |
71 |
(55) |
20,963 |
(50) |
33.9 |
1.2 |
(0.9-1.8) |
|
|
Female (%) |
58 |
(45) |
21,311 |
(50) |
27.2 |
|
1.0 |
|
|
Marital status |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Married (%) |
60 |
(47) |
20,583 |
(49) |
29.2 |
|
1.0 |
|
|
Widowed (%) |
29 |
(22) |
14,132 |
(33) |
20.5 |
0.7 |
(0.4-1.1) |
|
|
Divorced (%)** |
32 |
(25) |
5,869 |
(18) |
54.5 |
1.9 |
(1.2-2.9)++ |
|
|
Never married (%) |
8 |
(6) |
1,614 |
(4) |
49.6 |
1.7 |
(0.8-3.6) |
|
|
Unknown |
- |
76 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
Education |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less than high school (%) |
14 |
(11) |
10,397 |
(25) |
13.5 |
|
1.0 |
|
|
HS graduate (%) |
43 |
(33) |
18,093 |
(43) |
23.8 |
1.8 |
(1.0-3.2) |
|
|
Some college (%)** |
23 |
(18) |
7,584 |
(18) |
30.3 |
2.3 |
(1.2-4.4) |
|
|
Baccalaureate or higher (%) |
49 |
(38) |
5,601 |
(13) |
87.5 |
6.5 |
(3.6-11.8) |
|
|
Unknown |
- |
599 |
|
|
|
|||
|
Residence |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Portland metropolitan (%) |
48 |
(37) |
15,070 |
(36) |
31.9 |
1.1 |
(0.8-1.5) |
|
|
Other Oregon (%) |
81 |
(63) |
27,204 |
(64) |
29.8 |
|
1.0 |
|
|
Underlying Illness |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cancer (%) |
102 |
(79) |
16,723 |
(40) |
61.0 |
11.9 |
(6.0-23.6)++ |
|
|
ALS (%) |
10 |
(8) |
267 |
(1) |
374.5 |
73.3 |
(30.0-178.9)++ |
|
|
COPD (%) |
8 |
(6) |
7,673 |
(18) |
10.4 |
2.0 |
(0.8-5.3)++ |
|
|
Other diseases (%) |
9 |
(7) |
17,611 |
(42) |
5.1 |
1.0 |
|
|
|
* Unknowns
are excluded when calculating percentages. + The ratio is statistically significant according to the chi-square for trend test. ++ The ratio is statistically significant according to the chi-square test. Table adapted from "Five Years of Legal Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon." N Engl J Med 2003;348:961-4. See http://www.nejm.org. |
|
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|
Table 3: Death with Dignity Act participant end of life care and DWDA utilization. Based on physician interviews for 129 patients who died after ingesting a lethal dose of medication - Oregon, 1998-2002. |
||||||
|
Characteristics |
2002
|
1998-2001
|
Total
|
|||
|
End of life care |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hospice |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Enrolled (%) |
35 |
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