Rating: 
Summary: So good, its scary
Review: "Blind Eye" haunted me for quite awhile after I read it. The book portrays a classic example of evil being assisted by bureaucratic ineptitude. Stewart makes his case that Dr. Michael Swango may be the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. His case is a compelling page turner that reads like fiction. Even scarier is that Swango is due to be released THIS YEAR. One caution, do not read this book if you are planning to be in the hospital any time soon. You will not find it comforting.
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Summary: Doctors aren't the only bad guys here, what about the cops?
Review: There is a lot of Doctor-bashing going on here. Granted, Ohio State screwed things up. But otherwise: two states retracted his license, others denied it outright, most hospitals denied him privileges, he was fired promptly when his story became known, doctors weren't his personal friends, ...But what of the law enforcement agencies: they didn't ever arrest him for murder even when they had the bodies, the suspect, the drugs (yes, they knew the drugs he used from their searches), the motive. They let him keep his passport and travel freely. They couldn't keep track of him when he was on the lam (and he wasn't even trying that hard to avoid them). They couldn't communicate effectively with themselves or with the medical establishment. Their national data base is worse than the medical establishment's. Good Docs: almost all Bad Docs: Ohio State and Swango Good Cops/Lawyers: The Quincy Judge and cops Bad Cops/Lawyers: almost all others, even in Africa
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Summary: Where is Michael Swanko now?
Review: From everything I read, he was due for release from prison in Jan, 2000. But I can't find out if he was released, and if so, where he is. Any information? Oh, by the way, read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Real life more frightening than fiction
Review: I read this investigative 314 page book in one sitting. If there's a lesson in it, it's that authority figures, such as doctors, suffer pride, envy, lust, just like the rest of us but unlike the rest of us, too often fail to acknowledge their fallibility. It highlights the patriarchal and sexist nature of the American medical profession which, like other parts of society, is not hermetically sealed off from that society. Example: the direct eye evidence of an elderly female patient counts for nothing; the evidence of nurses counts for little; the suppositions and the presumptions of doctors counts a great deal - and so a serial killer doctor continues to practice. Equally frightening is how a number of eminent and respected so called "scientists" of some very prestigious medical establishments chose Dr Michael Swango because they liked the look of him, because he seemed nice. To what extent did Dr Swango achieve his macabre goals because he was the picture of an energetic, white, clean cut, blue-eyed, blonde haired American ex-marine? (The author notes that staff at one mid-western hospital were relieved to find Dr Swango was "english speaking" so many "foreign doctors" had they through their portals). Although I felt a little uneasy in the beginning of this book at what seemed to be the gossip like approach of the author, about who did or didn't like Michael Swango at school, whose favourite he was at home etc, the beginning serves to draw you in to his life through the eyes of friends acquaintances and relatives so that the real horror of his actions slowly dawns on the reader. In a state approaching disbelief you are witness to a horrible journey. Thanks to the American press and to patients such as Mrs Delbert Cooper Sr and to the author and to the nurses involved the mistakes made can be revealed, and discussed. A tad more humility by some doctors might have helped to prevent a lot of what happened in this story.
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Summary: Doctors protecting doctors
Review: Unfortuately, this is a true story - in its own way even scarier than the best of Stephen King - of how the medical profession failed to protect the public from one of its own who was deliberately killing patients!
Rating:
Summary: Swango may be 1 in a million, but that's still too much....
Review: This is a fine book that seems well-reported and detailed. (I can only guess what Stewart left out of the book). It reads fast, not quite like a thriller novel but almost. It's an indictment of the medical industry, yes, but really what it is a thorough and fascinating character study of a strange strange man. That to me is as interesting as any policy argument. Stewart balances both the events (cover-ups, lawsuits, mysterious deaths) and the portrait of the "protagonist," or whatever we want to call him, quite nicely. This may sound sick, but there are even occasional moments of humor. Unfortunately the consequences of Swango's bizarre behavior have been devastating. I don't quite understand the criticisms some have levelled here. It's not a perfect book and there are some unanswered questions, as there always are, but the criticism that Stewart seems to be condemning a whole industry for just one bad apple is, I think, off the mark. Yes, he's critiquing the establishment, but I think Stewart knows that this guy is a rarity, and in fact, in parts of the book, it's clear that that's WHY he was able to slip through. Nobody even thought that something like this could happen, which is why they didn't check up on him as thoroughly as they should have. Some of the people who let him through are even interviewed in the book. Stewart doesn't say they are bad people, but I think the lesson to be learned is obvious. And to say that doctors DON'T cover for each other, ever? The OSU section pretty clearly shows us some doctors who aren't willing to hear criticism of a fellow doctor. But yes, if I recall right, there were lawyers causing difficulties there, too. Were the doctors just doing what the lawyers told them? I can't remember. Stewart certainly seemed open to that possibility, though. I think Stewart comes nowhere near criticizing all doctors, or even damning the ones in this story-not as individuals, at least. I don't know if I agree that we need more legislation to fix the problem, because what really happened is that people (usually good, decent people), in a moment of weakness perhaps, didn't follow some of the most basic, obvious guidelines for checking someone's background. (And not just doctors. Friends and family missed some red flags, too). Maybe only one serial killer has ever slipped through this way, but that's still one too many. Anyway, what's important is that it's an interesting book and a good read, and highly recommended.
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Summary: Is this a script for Phil Donahue or Jerry Springer?
Review: This is another example of the media's biased doctor bashing. Swango is a bad apple. He is a rarity. To give the most extreme example of a problem to demonstrate how a whole system is broken is absurd. Doctors don't cover for doctors. They are often each other's worst critics. Meaningful regulation is often limited or blocked by litigation, whether threatened or real. At my hospital we have a bad surgeon we would like to remove from the staff (multiple malpractice cases among other problems), but their lawyer keeps appealing so we are forced to allow them to practice while we wait. Stewart misses the point that lawyers make it very difficult for doctors to police themselves.
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Summary: Excellent Read
Review: As a Medical Staff Coordinator for a large hosptial I first heard of this book through an annual conference. I ordered the book and found the accounts of Michael Swango completely disturbing. I work in a profession that is responsible for researching physicians and making sure that they never enter our medical establishment. I have shared this book with my hospital administrators and Chief of Staff, it has become a required reading text for all incomming medical staff leadership. Thanks to James Stewart for bringing this issue to the American Public, with this kind of publicity, Michael Swango will never practice medicine again.
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Summary: A Disturbing Story of Murder & Its Cover Up
Review: James Stewart's well written book is hard to put down, and its story is even harder to accept. It tells how one young doctor committed murder with apparent ease. His spree could have been stopped early, says Stewart, if Dr. Michael Swango's superiors at Ohio State College of Medicine had properly investigated the first deaths. Even after Swango went on to work in Illinois, OSU officials continued to stonewall until it was too late. Swango is suspected by the FBI of having committed 60 murders in the US and overseas. One of the most disturbing true crime stories I've read, and among the best written.
Rating:
Summary: A harsh slam at medical professionals
Review: While this book is an interesting take on the history of the Swango case, the author (and many of my fellow reviewers) jump to too many conclusions about the poor state of checks and balances in America's hospitals and medical schools. Surely mistakes were made with Swango -- but one should not indict the entire medical community! Many many lives are saved each and every day by tireless medical professionals -- let's give them some respect and thanks.
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