When you think of nurses that kill their patients (or at least when I do) you think of mercy killers. Nurses who have been on the job far too long and have seen patients suffering far too long. They give in and push that extra dose of morphine or ativan that pushes the lifeless yet alive body over the edge. The patient's respiration rate goes from 6 per minute to zero per minute. They monitor displays asystole but nothing is done because someone involved either the patient, family or healthcare team have prevented further suffering by arranging a living will that would request a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order specifically for situations like this. I have not been a nurse long enough nor have I worked with terminally ill patients on a regular enough basis to fully understand why some nurses do this. I don't think I could go through with it because one of my biggest phobias is taking life from something (I don't even like killing bugs). The nurse featured in this book couldn't be further from a mercy killer. Charles Cullen was a complicated and brilliant man who possibly murdered up to 300-400 people over the span of his sixteen year nursing career. Working mostly in intensive care settings he used odd unsuspecting drugs such as insulin and digoxin to to kill his victims. He killed indiscriminately, literally, as he sometimes had no idea who he was killing. He would spike multiple patient's IV bags with these toxic clear liquid drugs before the infusions were started in some cases. Once the shift would begin and the nurses would complete their nightly reports and start their work, which included administering the poisoned medication. Cullen would sit in a corner with his charts and watch the madness begin. Hospital after hospital would catch on to Cullen's murders and instead of reporting him to the authorities they would just ask him to leave and would continue to provide him with neutral references so he could continue to work. He worked at 9 hospitals during his career most of which knew he intentionally killed patients or at the very least thought he accidentally killed them. So you think what a sick bastard!!! right? You would be right, but the brilliance of "The Good Nurse" is how Charles Graeber details the multiple dimensions of the characters involved in this real life macabre nursing tale. Charles Cullen's described his life as one of pain and suffering. He made his first suicide attempt when he was 9 years old. He also went on to attempt suicide over 60 times in his life. Generally they were calls for attention but they were also about control.
Charles Cullen
From Wikipedia:
Charles Edmund Cullen (born February 22, 1960) is a former nurse who is the most prolific serial killer in New Jersey history and is suspected to be the most prolific serial killer in American history. He
confessed to authorities that he killed up to 40 patients during the course of his 16-year nursing career. But in subsequent interviews with police, psychiatric professionals, and journalists Charles Graeber and Steve Kroft, it became clear that he had killed many more, whom he could not specifically remember by name,
though he could often remember details of their case. Experts have estimated that Charles Cullen may
ultimately be responsible for some 400 murders, which would make him the most prolific serial
killer in American history.
Cullen was eventually brought down by two persistent Somerset, New Jersey Police detectives. They also had the assistance of a former colleague/friend of Cullen. He pleaded guilty and has acknowledged approximately 40 of his murders but through research and his cooperation they have discovered that that number is probably much higher, in the hundreds. This would make him the most prolific serial killer in American history. "The Good Nurse" is excellently written and will be enjoyed by anyone who loves true crime serial killer stories. It is also written in a way that non medical professionals can fully understand. Its pretty creepy because if you can't trust your nurse, who can you trust???
No comments:
Post a Comment