X ray pictures in 88% of Michigan doctor’s asbestosis diagnoses were found to be normal

doi:10.1136/bmj.a2549

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Fred Charatan

¹Florida

All but one of 91 cases of asbestosis that were due to be heard in a Michigan court this month have been withdrawn by lawyers after the judge who was to hear the cases was shown evidence indicating that the doctor who made the diagnoses had got them wrong.

Michael Kelly, an occupational doctor in Lansing, Michigan, has worked for the past 15 years for the state of Michigan. In that time he diagnosed 7323 cases of asbestosis. In each case that he was asked to consider a possible diagnosis of asbestosis he was paid a fee of $500 (£335; €400) by …