Medical Accidents

Charles Vincent, Maeve Ennis, Robert J Audley Oxford University Press, £35, pp 239 ISBN 0-19-262289-7

When I was a resident, 33 years ago, I misinterpreted an ambiguously written dose for the treatment of fish tapeworm. The medication was given by gastric intubation. Whether as a result of the incorrect dose, poor intubation technique, or anaphylaxis, the child died. Eventually the wording in the text was corrected and perhaps other such “accidents” were prevented. I have never forgotten this tragic event and when I began reading Medical Accidents it rushed to the surface.

Despite a longstanding interest in …