Head-swap doc reprimanded by GMC
Surgeon promises to behave in future
by Kieren McCarthy
The controversial doctor behind the notorious head-swap cases has been
severely reprimanded by the General Medical Council.
Consultant surgeon and obsattrition Ronald Dock was found guilty of serious
professional misconduct after the Council heard of his attempts to move the
heads of his patients onto different bodies. The GMC stopped short of striking
him off the medical register however and Dr Dock will continue to work at the
Prince Regent hospital in Nottingham.
Mr Dock defended his actions, saying that he was hoping to transplant the
cerebral cortex of several of his patients onto a different body, opening the
way for a revolutionary new form of medicine. Eight of the nine patients
involved were women and seven were notable for their cup size.
The GMC report criticises Dr Dock for failing in each case. "Dr Dock did not
introduce sufficient safety measures into the operation, resulting in the
suspension of brain activity in all but one case within seconds of cerebral
detachment," it reads. The exception was 87-year-old Bert Indent, who it was
alleged exclaimed "Bloody hell!" before lapsing into unconsciousness.
His yell alerted a nurse to the surgeon's Frankenstein efforts, who pulled
back a curtain to find the old timer's head stitched onto the bikini-clad body
of 25-year-old Marie Calven. The nurse in question later testified that she
also spotted Dr Dock relieving himself into the detached head of Ms Calven,
although the GMC said there was no supporting evidence for this claim and
declined to consider it.
Despite the gravity of the situation, the GMC said it was satisfied with Dr
Dock's promise to seek patient consent before carrying out any more radical
operations, and that he was free to continue working in the Midlands.
The decision has prompted critics of the GMC to renew their campaign for an
independent health review body however. "The Council behaves like a weird
freemason cult, forgiving doctors guilty of the most appalling lapses in duty
and depravity — and all due to some twisted belief that they are
maintaining confidence in the medical profession," head protester Lucy Harich
told The Rockall Times.
A spokesman for the GMC dismissed this complaint out of hand however. "There
are always people that will stir up trouble if they can. Why are we expected to
listen to this nonsense from people that have no grasp of the complexities of
doctoring? None of these so-called protesters even have a medical degree."