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ORIGINAL: phoenix52


i also have to wonder what the criteria are for deaths directly caused by doctors. Is that, doctor prescribed a toxic drug combination and patient died, or, doctor did their best during surgery, patient died, and greedy family sued? Sometimes terrible things happen and it's not anyone's "fault". Some of the "malpractice" cases i have heard of are just ridiculous.... ie Terry Schiavo, the woman in Florida in the vegatative state, her family sued her gynocologist (and won) because she had a heard attack due to bulemia. i suppose the idea there is that all gynocologists should screen all women for the electrolyte imbalances that come with bulemia, "just in case".

i don't know if that kind of thinking has anything to do with the numbers here, just an idea.

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(B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000