15-year-old performs surgery in India

[Ping898]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070621...age_surgeon;_ylt=AkGuMfQTKDUlgovqW2dt5hnMWM0F

NEW DELHI - The 15-year-old son of two doctors successfully performed a filmed Caesarean section birth under his parents' watch in southern India in an apparent attempt to set a record as the youngest surgeon, officials said Thursday.
Dr. K. Murugesan showed a recording of his son performing a Caesarean section to an Indian Medical Association chapter in the southern state of Tamil Nadu last month, said Dr. Venkatesh Prasad, secretary of the association. The video showed Murugesan anesthetizing the patient.
Murugesan told the medical association that he wanted to see his son's name in the Guinness Book of World Records.
However, Amarilis Espinoza, a spokeswoman for the record book, said in an e-mail response to a question from The Associated Press that the organization doesn't monitor or endorse such feats because it would encourage the practice of "bad medicine."
The mother and baby were reported to have come through the surgery successfully.
"We were shocked to see the recording," Prasad told the AP, adding that the IMA told Murugesan that his act was an ethical and legal violation.

I think it is terrible that they did this to get into some record book! I hope the Dad does loose his liscence if for no other reason to make sure he doesn't exercise such bad judgement again and endanger someone.

 

[MA-Caver]

This is totally irresponsible parenting IMO. It's one thing to have a whiz kid and have them doing things that no ordinary kid their age can do but without proper training and education to go behind it? Wrong on a lot of different levels.
The father doesn't even care if he loses his license... "they'll do it because they're jealous"... how juvenile. The mother equally as guilty.
It doesn't matter that they were supervising the procedure or not, that they should know better that this isn't right without the education to understand WHY the cuts are made this way and why each step of that procedure is necessary...
What does that teach the son? You don't need no education? You don't need no thought control? No dark sarcasm in the classroom... you just need us.

Home schooling is one thing but this is completely off the charts man.

 

[Ceicei]

Sounds like the 15-year old knows the how (performance) of doing things [and apparently did for three years], but he doesn't know or have the why (reasoning/experience/knowledge etc.) that a full-fledged surgeon would get through study,training, and time.

A good surgeon needs both. Just knowing the performance only (as with this boy) may overlook the exceptions or other possible problems that may crop up that experience and training (which he lacks) would have prevented.

For some reason, this keeps bringing back recollection of the show, "Doogie Howser". The main difference is "Doogie Howser" (at least the character in the show), age notwithstanding, did put in the textbook/internship study, unlike the 15-year old "for the record" pseudo-surgeon.

- Ceicei

 

[MA-Caver]

For some reason, this keeps bringing back recollection of the show, "Doogie Howser". The main difference is "Doogie Howser" (at least the character in the show), age notwithstanding, did put in the textbook/internship study, unlike the 15-year old "for the record" pseudo-surgeon.

- Ceicei

Exactly, I had no problems accepting the concept of a kid young as Doogie being a doctor and all of that... because I knew (from the show) that he went to the finest med school and so forth and thus now (during the show) was serving his internship and bla bla bla. Irregardless that the show was fiction it was possible/conceivable. There are young Mensa level kids out there.

This (real life) kid however had none of that except what his parents taught him. Probably, yes they had him reading their old text books and they probably sat down with him whenever he scratched his head and applied all of their own medical training/experience to his questions ... but it still does in no way excuse the parents for allowing this to happen. And that is what grieves me the most. Indians that I know and have known have always seemed to be practical, sensible and intelligent people. This couple just shows the opposite of my friends/acquaintances.

 

[tellner]

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

 

[Kacey]

While I find the parents' actions in arranging this surgery to be heinous, I was pleased to read that

"We were shocked to see the recording," Prasad told the AP, adding that the IMA told Murugesan that his act was an ethical and legal violation."

was the reaction of the IMA. As horrific as the parents actions were, sanction by a professional group would be even worse.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

While I find the parents' actions in arranging this surgery to be heinous, I was pleased to read that was the reaction of the IMA. As horrific as the parents actions were, sanction by a professional group would be even worse.

I am in full agreement with you Kacey.

 

[Kacey]

An update on this story:

A 15-year-old boy who allegedly delivered a baby by Caesarean section in an attempt to set a world record as the youngest surgeon apparently fled as police prepared to arrest him on Tuesday.

Raj Sekharan, superintendent of police in Tiruchirappalli district in southern Tamil Nadu state, said the boy had ran away and police were looking for him.

On Monday, police arrested Dhileepan Raj's physician parents who supervised their son while he allegedly performed the Caesarean section. They were charged with cheating, forgery of records, endangering human life, concealing evidence and abetting a crime.

<snip>

Amarilis Espinoza, a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records, said in an e-mail that the Guinness Book does not endorse such attempts because they encourage "bad medicine."

 

[exile]

An update on this story:

A 15-year-old boy who allegedly delivered a baby by Caesarean section in an attempt to set a world record as the youngest surgeon apparently fled as police prepared to arrest him on Tuesday.

Raj Sekharan, superintendent of police in Tiruchirappalli district in southern Tamil Nadu state, said the boy had ran away and police were looking for him.

On Monday, police arrested Dhileepan Raj's physician parents who supervised their son while he allegedly performed the Caesarean section. They were charged with cheating, forgery of records, endangering human life, concealing evidence and abetting a crime.

<snip>

Amarilis Espinoza, a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records, said in an e-mail that the Guinness Book does not endorse such attempts because they encourage "bad medicine."

OK, good. I was hoping for nothing less. If the IMA wants to protect its reputation as a responsible oversight agency, and the Indian government wants to maintain any kind of credibility, they had to come down at least this heavy.

 

[MA-Caver]

OK, good. I was hoping for nothing less. If the IMA wants to protect its reputation as a responsible oversight agency, and the Indian government wants to maintain any kind of credibility, they had to come down at least this heavy.

Yes absolutely. And Kudos to Guinness for not allowing the parent's dream to happen.
It's one thing for a parent to have a dream for their child and to see them so honored ... but it needs to be done... right.

 

[Ping898]

OK, good. I was hoping for nothing less. If the IMA wants to protect its reputation as a responsible oversight agency, and the Indian government wants to maintain any kind of credibility, they had to come down at least this heavy.

Last I read the Indian Government arrested the folks and were charging them with something that could lead to 5-10 years in jail and the kid was on the run from the cops.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070625/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_india_doctors_1

 

[exile]

Yes absolutely. And Kudos to Guinness for not allowing the parent's dream to happen.

For sure... they too have a reputation to protect. You can just imagine what stunts people would try to pull if the perps here managed to get Guinness recognition for something so unbelievably.... irresponsible... no, it's worse than irresponsible...

It's one thing for a parent to have a dream for their child and to see them so honored ... but it needs to be done... right.

What's so frightening is that both parents are medically certified MDs!! They aren't stage parents, they're practicing physicians... how the hell can anyone who's making life-and-death decisions on a regular basis, who knows what can happen in the way of bad consequences even to highly competent professionals if bad luck kicks in and things go sideways, allow their totally unqualified teenager to practice on an anæsthized patient just to get into a record book???

 

[Steel Tiger]

It is astounding the level of conceit and contempt for human life that these surgeons demonstrated. All for the sake of a place in Guinness? This shows such a disregard for the tenets of their profession as to border on evil. I am very pleased to here that they have been arrested. The son too (hope they catch him). He's 15, old enough to know it was wrong. Ten years in an Indian gaol? OK.

 

[MA-Caver]

It is astounding the level of conceit and contempt for human life that these surgeons demonstrated. All for the sake of a place in Guinness? This shows such a disregard for the tenets of their profession as to border on evil. I am very pleased to here that they have been arrested. The son too (hope they catch him). He's 15, old enough to know it was wrong. Ten years in an Indian gaol? OK.

I'm sure that the ultimate goal was NOT to JUST get into Guinness but to have their son have an early start in his education... but geez man!

 

[Steel Tiger]

I'm sure that the ultimate goal was NOT to JUST get into Guinness but to have their son have an early start in his education... but geez man!

I would hope that there was more to it, but you know people do crazy things just for fame. Look at Big Brother.