Mass killing cases in hospital by German nurse

A thrilling repeated murders case is still under judgment.

An ex-nurse admitted that he killed 30 patients with overdosing injection in the trial. He is suspected to have taken the hundreds of lives for some years. The motive of such cruel behavior was to improve the resuscitation skills, according the  defendant. He had been sentenced to imprisonment for an attempted murder in the past.

BBC: German nurse 'admits killing 30' with fatal overdoses

If proven to be guilty, this case series may be the worst after WW II occurred in the clinical setting. The defendant is possible to have Münchhausen Syndrome by Proxy. It means that he did harm others to gain some external attention to himself. Münchhausen Syndrome by Proxy is seen in a parent abusing children. But I have not heard the case in which patients were subjected, except in a novel.

After the defendant was employed in the hospital, unexplained death cases occasionally happened. Of course, some inevitable deaths occur in a hospital. However, the defendants confessed to having killed 30 patients for two years. It is surprising that he had not been suspected for a long time.

Unfortunately, some medical practitioners feel omnipotent in a particular situation. For example, sedating patients with an anesthetic injection, we find the patients immediately lose his consciousness. It is as if we encounter the miracle of medical science. In addition, both circulation and respiration of the patient are controllable with administration of some drugs. It is quite an unnatural scene. And we feel as if we can control over the life of the patient.

However, we should not misunderstand that temporary management of the vital activity of the patient is merely a means of a cure. We are simply medical practitioners, not the God or Devil. We have a responsibility to carry out this operation, as a pilot on the airplane.

I am not sure what the defendant is. There are many practitioners who are likely to take a mistake, many of which can be improved. However, such grandiosity is hardly to be eliminated. It may be impossible to permit him again to close to the hospital, forever.