Many have blamed Dr. Conrad Murray. Dr. Murray gave him a cocktail of drugs, some of which are supposed to be used only in hospitals with vital sign monitoring and life saving equipment, to help him sleep and left him unsupervised. In that unsupervision, the King of Pop died.
Dr. Murray has recently been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. No one, authorities or otherwise, think he intentionally killed Michael Jackson, but there was definitely medical neglect, and he was operating under much lower standards than he most likely would have operated under with a "normal" patient.
But his patient was Michael Jackson. While I don't let Dr. Murray off the hook, I feel like he was in an extraordinary circumstance. His patient was a hugely powerful person, a household name. He wanted to treat and please him because of his stature.
This is the problem with power. You can get to a point where you are so powerful that people can allow you to get what you want, regardless of if it is "good" for you. This is the case in so many celebrity deaths related to drugs. It is so important to have people around you who will not be afraid to make sure you keep your best interest at heart. Michael Jackson had so many people hired to serve him in various ways - I doubt any of them ever told him no either. Where were the people in Michael Jackson's life with the power to tell him no, the power to assist Dr. Murray in trying to ween Michael Jackson off of propofol when he believed it was becoming habit forming? Did anyone exist? His mother? His brothers or sisters? Was it even their responsibility?
I feel sorry for Conrad Murray. I feel sorry because I think he was caught up in a whirlwind that ended in disaster. I can say that he was negligent and I could agree with his medical license being revoked. Is Michael Jackson's death his fault? I don't know. Is an involuntary manslaughter charge the right thing? I don't know.
Thoughts?
As a physician, he is bound by "First, do no harm", regardless of his patient's status. While it's hard to imagine him saying "Get another doctor" to Michael, that may have just saved his life.
ReplyDelete@streetkid5 - yes, he definitely broke the rules. I'm sure at this point he wished he would have referred him to someone else, or better enforced weening him off the drugs.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way to look at it. Power can really distort peoples perceptions of what is right. I hope at the very least that other doctors in his position become aware of that danger and something similar doesn't happen again.
ReplyDeleteIn dealing with peoples lives especially as a private doctor you are awarded certain privileges as such and even greater responsibility so you should take that even more seriously because you literally have someone's life in your hands. In my field I deal with a major decision in a person's life and I don't sacrifice service for convenience no matter what the price point.
ReplyDeleteMr. Anonymous