A former anesthetist is currently on trial in Besançon, eastern France, accused of deliberately poisoning 30 patients, 12 of whom later died.
The defendant, 53-year-old Frédéric Péchier, was regarded by colleagues as a highly skilled practitioner. He first came under investigation eight years ago over suspicions that he had poisoned patients at two local clinics between 2008 and 2017.
Although facing serious charges, Péchier remains free under judicial supervision. On September 8, he said that there is "no proof of any poisoning."
Cases like this are rare, but they remind us of an uncomfortable truth. The Hippocratic Oath taken by all doctors proclaims that, above all else, medical professionals shall not cause harm. Yet harm can happen, whether through error or intent, and it always makes our skin crawl.
Read on to hear some of the worst stories of medical malpractice.