Thomas Lodwig was an English doctor, accused of murdering a patient with terminal

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in 1990. He was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...

after the prosecution offered no evidence at his trial.

Case history

Lodwig was

senior house officer A senior house officer (SHO) is a non-consultant hospital doctor in Ireland and many Commonwealth countries. SHOs usually have a minimum of 1 year post medical school training. SHOs are supervised in their work by consultants and registrars. In tr ...

at Battle Hospital,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

. A 48-year-old patient with

terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

, Roy Spratley,Margaret Otlowski, ''Voluntary Euthanasia and the Common Law'', Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 177
/ref> had been receiving regular and increasing doses of

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

for

pain relief Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals ...

Morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

was also administered. By 29 September 1988, the patient was in continuous uncontrollable pain, and was suffering fits. His family, expecting him to die, asked Lodwig to do something to relieve his pain. Lodwig instructed a nurse to bring him some

potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a sa ...

and

lignocaine Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine and sold under the brand name Xylocaine among others, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. When used for local anaesth ...

. When the nurse asked why, he said, "I'm sending someone out there". He then drew a finger across his throat and pointed upwards, an act his counsel later claimed was a joke. A few minutes later the patient died. The nurses on the ward became suspicious and the next day the hospital administration called the police. Lodwig did not record in his notes the use of the potassium chloride or lignocaine, or the exact time of death. A

postmortem An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death; ...

established that the patient also had significant narrowing of the

coronary Coronary () may, as shorthand in English, be used to mean: * Coronary circulation, the system of arteries and veins in mammals ** Coronary artery disease ** Coronary occlusion ** A myocardial infarction, a heart attack As adjective * Referring to ...

arteries An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

Trial

Lodwig's trial was held at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

in London on 15 March 1990. The

forensic pathologist Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...

advising the prosecution determined the cause of death to be acute potassium poisoning. In court, though, the prosecution stated that its main medical witness was no longer convinced that the patient had died solely from a potassium overdose. In addition, Lodwig argued that his intention had been to " kill the pain and not the patient", and that the use of potassium chloride with pain killers to accelerate their

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

effect had been researched at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 by Rahere, and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by ...

, London. These trials had supposedly been encouraging but at the time had not been published. Taking both these factors into account, the prosecution decided to offer no evidence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodwig, Thomas Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century English medical doctors Euthanasia activists

Case history

Trial

See also

References