I read with considerable interest the letter from Siroos Mirzaei and Peter Knoll drawing attention to the treatment of physicians in Iraq who refused to be involved in torture.1 It is unfortunate that they did not name the physician who was executed for refusing to exercise medicine punitively. He must have espoused the highest Hippocratic ideals to give his life rather than inflict pain on another person. This man should be honoured by remembrances and scholarships. How many of us would give our lives in such a sacrifice?
Signature
Alan L. Russell
Physician Bramalea, Ont.
Reference
- 1.Mirzaei S, Knoll P. The last trial of a Nazi doctor [letter]. CMAJ 2000;163(5):498,500. [PMC free article] [PubMed]