Saturday, May 11, 2013

Slow Saturday Special: Exorcising the Evil Spirits

I never thought of it before, but maybe I should splash some holy water on my Globe.

"Boston Children’s Hospital doctor barred for ‘spiritual diagnosis’; Sought to convert troubled teen and failed to report alleged abuse" by Evan Allen  |  Globe Correspondent, May 11, 2013

A Boston Children’s Hospital psychiatrist who became convinced his 16-year-old patient suffered from “evil spirits” and appointed himself as her spiritual mentor has been barred from practicing medicine, according to the state Board of Registration in Medicine.

Raymond W. Kam gave the girl a cross to wear in exchange for a different, undisclosed religious symbol she had on; he also took her to church with him and let her stay at his home, board investigators said in documents filed in the case. At one point, she told him that her mother pushed her down the stairs and tried to asphyxiate her, and he allegedly failed to report her charges to the Department of Children and Families as required by state law.

The board voted Wednesday to suspend Kam’s license indefinitely, saying his conduct called into question his “competence to practice medicine.”

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