Dingle + Disaster
I like many have watched with horror and fascination the waste that was the end of Penelope Dingle's life. Amongst it all, Cameron Platell, by reputation a quiet and careful surgeon, stood out for me, when explaining on 720, his frustration that his advice was being ignored, as he assured Ms Dingle of the favourable outcome expected with surgery he recommended but she would not have.
The case raises important and difficult questions about the role of our society in protecting its members from their own abject foolishness and influence. Self-determination is great, as long as informed and based on sense...
Importantly this is not an isolated example. Only weeks ago we all heard of the ill-informed and sinister exploitation of the vulnerable by a West Australian psychotherapist on Sarah Ferguson's excellent 4 Corners expose.
In these days, with every more stringent (or so it feels) regulation of our traditional professions, how can these 'fringe' health disciplines continue unregulated? I suspect Coroner Hope will have something to say on the topic.
On a lighter note, if there can be one, see below - as my UK relatives would say 'nuf said'
I am interested to see you mention the Matthew ... Meinck? expose as the parallel with the Dingle case also struck me.
I'm not sure where the police investigation is with him, but it seemed to me it would take someone dying under his 'care' (either a suicide or an accident in one of dangerous workshops) for him to be made accountable - as it has with homeopathy.
I am not sure you can regulate this stuff but you *can* restrict advertising practices.