Anyone for Hemlock?

Our thanks to Dr Wayne for another excellent image.

Professor Gillian 'Wicked Witch of the North' Needham, the dean who finds herself increasingly at the center of JobbyGate, appears to think that what doctors do away from work has as much bearing on their fitness to practice as what they do at work.

Does she have a point? I mean, can you really trust someone to make life or death decisions who, say, was dishonest enough to cheat on their wife? Or who abuses their power to silence her pal's critics? Or who is dumb enough to 'accidentally' poison themselves with hemlock while out hillwalking with her brain surgeon 'companion'?

I think we can safely assume that such a person should not be practicing medicine.

Which brings us nicely to this 2001 telegraph article (thanks to DD for the link):

A LEADING brain surgeon is being treated in intensive care after eating a poisonous wild plant while hill walking in the Highlands.
David Currie, 51, who has worked at Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust in Aberdeen for the past 20 years, and a woman companion were taken ill on Sunday afternoon after eating a wild plant.
The pair, who were walking in the Aultbea area in Wester Ross, drove to the village of Garve where the woman phoned for an ambulance.
It is understood Dr Currie, a father of two, was unconscious by the time he reached Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. He regained consciousness yesterday and his condition, which had been life-threatening, was described as stable. His companion was released from hospital on Monday.
A spokesman for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary said that Dr Currie had visited Inverness last week to attend a number of clinics before going hill walking. He said: "Dr Currie is one of the top brain surgeons in the country and we wish him a speedy recovery."
Dr Currie is a staunch Labour supporter...His wife, Esther, and daughters Hannah and Rebecca, said in a statement yesterday: "We were tremendously shocked when we heard. We are delighted by the improvement in his condition over the last 24 hours."
The plant eaten by Dr Currie and his companion has not been identified although there is a possibility that it may have been hemlock.

Note that Dr Currie is quoted as being a "staunch labour supporter". However, a Dr Rant reader from The North tells us that it is well known in Inverness that Dr Currie's female companion was none other than Prof Gillian Needham. It's not clear from the article whether Dr Currie's then-wife was more shocked that he had taken hemlock, or that he has been with his 'female companion' Prof Needham at the time. Whatever the cause of her 'shock', she subsequently ceased to be Mrs Currie.

Even more interesting, and worrying, is that Prof Needham is in fact a company director for the Scottish medical indemnity organisation, MDDUS. Do you think the MDDUS will advise Dr Junior to sue one of their own directors?

But wait! (Could this get any more bizarre?) When we look up Gillian Needham's registered address with companies house (using 192.com's company director search function), we find it listed as 180 Deeside Road. And guess who else is listed as living at 180 Deeside Road? You guessed it, Dr Currie. Now, we have to assume that 180 Deeside Road is a residential address because you are required by companies house to register your actual residence.

Dr Currie and Prof Needham appear to be pretty good pals. They hillwalk together, they take hemlock together, and they have the same residential address. Perhaps they have something else in common. Remember how the hemlock article above mentioned that Dr Currie was a 'staunch Labour supporter'? That seemed strange to Dr Rant. I mean, if I was dying from a self-inflicted overdose on a ventilator, I would hope that there would be more important things for my pals to point out to circling reporters than my political affiliations. I mean, just how keen on Labour is this guy? Do you think Gillian shares his passion? (For Labour, I mean.)

I think we need to know. I think we need to know if the Professor who single-handedly is destroying a junior doctor's career - against the advice of the GMC, the disciplinary committee, and pretty much every sentient being who hears the story - for attacking a Labour policy Queen, is herself a Labour junkie? We already know Prof Paice is.

That would make this a chilling attack on political dissent.

The first thing that needs to happen is that Dr Scot Junior needs to be re-instated with no ill effects on his career. The second thing that needs to happen is that Prof Needham needs to be stripped of any authority over other doctors. The third thing that needs to happen, is that we need to look urgently at the medical power being concentrated into a small number of hands (in this case, two - and they both belong to the same person). Needham has the power to be prosecuting counsel, judge, jury, and executioner and does not appear afraid to use it at will. It appears that no-one can stop her.

Human rights anyone? Democracy?

UPDATE: Mushroomgate sorry 'Hemlockgate' was reported on the BBC website at the time. It would also appear that Prof Needham is the Scottish Dean for Neurology training, but isn't actually a 'neurologist' herself, which is unusual to say the least.  [Actually, Frank, it's common practice for Deans to come from other specialties in the UK - I know it's barking, but apparently if we let people who actually know something about a speciality run it, like they do in other countries, they might want to do it right - Ed.]

Thanks to DD and RP for their tips regarding this story, and to RP for the image.