Thomas Lodwig
Encyclopedia
Thomas Lodwig was an English doctor, accused of murdering a patient with terminal cancer
in 1990. He was acquitted
after the prosecution offered no evidence at his trial.
at Battle Hospital, Reading
. A 48 year old patient with terminal pancreatic cancer
had been receiving regular and increasing doses of heroin for pain relief. Morphine
was also administered. By 29 September 1988, the patient was in "continuous and uncontrollable pain and having fits". His family, expecting him to die, asked Lodwig to do "something - anything" to relieve his pain. Lodwig instructed a nurse to bring him some potassium chloride
and lignocaine. When the nurse asked why, he said, "I'm sending someone out there". He then "drew a finger across his throat and pointed in the air" (an act his counsel later claimed was said as 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 established that the patient also had "significant narrowing of the coronary arteries
".
in London
on 15 March 1990. The forensic pathologist 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 he had tried a method which had been the subject of experiments conducted by professors at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London - namely, the use of potassium chloride with pain killers to accelerate their analgesic
effect". 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.
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1990. He was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
after the prosecution offered no evidence at his trial.
Case history
Lodwig was senior house officerSenior house officer
A senior house officer is a junior doctor undergoing training within a certain speciality in the British National Health Service or in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised by consultants and registrars, who oversee their training and are their designated clinical supervisors...
at Battle Hospital, Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. A 48 year old patient with terminal pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
had been receiving regular and increasing doses of heroin for pain relief. Morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
was also administered. By 29 September 1988, the patient was in "continuous and uncontrollable pain and having fits". His family, expecting him to die, asked Lodwig to do "something - anything" to relieve his pain. Lodwig instructed a nurse to bring him some potassium chloride
Potassium chloride
The chemical compound potassium chloride is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state, it is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance, with a crystal structure that cleaves easily in three directions. Potassium chloride crystals are...
and lignocaine. When the nurse asked why, he said, "I'm sending someone out there". He then "drew a finger across his throat and pointed in the air" (an act his counsel later claimed was said as 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 established that the patient also had "significant narrowing of the coronary arteries
Artery
Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
".
Trial
Lodwig's trial was held at the Old BaileyOld Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 15 March 1990. The forensic pathologist 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 he had tried a method which had been the subject of experiments conducted by professors at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London - namely, the use of potassium chloride with pain killers to accelerate their analgesic
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
effect". 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.
See also
Other British doctors suspected, implicated or convicted of killing or hastening the deaths of patients- John Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin Adams was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between the years 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their will. He was tried and acquitted for...
Leonard ArthurLeonard ArthurDr Leonard John Henry Arthur MB, BChir, MRCP, D Obst RCOG was a British doctor tried in 1981 for the attempted murder of John Pearson, a newborn child with Down's Syndrome. He was acquitted....
Nigel CoxNigel Cox (doctor)Dr Nigel Leigh Cox is a British consultant rheumatologist and the only doctor ever to have been convicted in Britain for attempted euthanasia. In 1992 he was convicted of the attempted murder of patient Lillian Boyes, and received a suspended sentence.-Lillian Boyes:In 1991 Lillian Boyes, then 70,...
Howard MartinHoward MartinHoward Martin is a former British doctor who was prosecuted for the murder of three patients in 2005 but acquitted. In June 2010, after being struck off the medical register by the General Medical Council for hastening the deaths of 18 patients, he admitted in a newspaper interview bringing...
David MoorDavid MoorDr. David Moor was a British general practitioner who was prosecuted in 1999 for the euthanasia of a patient. He was found not guilty, but has admitted in a press interview to having helped up to 300 people to die...
Harold ShipmanHarold ShipmanHarold Fredrick Shipman was an English doctor and one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history with 218 murders being positively ascribed to him....