Scenario
- A medical school graduate is doing an internship as part of her community service at the State hospital in a rural area. One day when she is the only doctor on duty, a patient presents and appears to be suffering epileptic fits.
The intern proceeds to give the patient an intravenous dose of 20 cc’s of paraldehyde, without checking the dosage with the doctor on call, or in the Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS). The recognized dose for intravenous administration of paraldehyde is not more than 5 cc’s, and as a result the patient dies. - Was the medical intern guilty of manslaughter or culpable homicide? wh