# Doctors try for a Guinness record, let teen son do surgery **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 22, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953 "2007-06-22T03:16:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/1 "2007-06-22T03:16:42Z")
[15-year-old does a Caesarean section](http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2108425,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront), proud parents shoot the video and show it to fellow docs: "When doctors at the meeting in Manapparai expressed outrage, the boy’s father, general surgeon K Murugesan, reportedly claimed he had not done anything illegal. The Hindustan Times reported him as saying: “If a 10-year-old [in India] can drive a car and a 15-year-old can become a doctor in the US, what is wrong if my son, though not qualified, performs a surgery?” In a separate interview with the doctor in the Tamil Kumudam Reporter, he was quoted as saying his son had done similar operations before." What the heck, it wasn’t brain surgery. Wonder what the Guinness record is for that? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/2 "2007-06-22T03:51:11Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Wonder what the Guinness record is for that? :eek: [/QUOTE] No Guinness record for the son, but maybe a Darwin award for mom. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/3 "2007-06-22T05:00:22Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] [15-year-old does a Caesarean section](http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2108425,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront), proud parents shoot the video and show it to fellow docs: "When doctors at the meeting in Manapparai expressed outrage, the boy’s father, general surgeon K Murugesan, reportedly claimed he had not done anything illegal. The Hindustan Times reported him as saying: “If a 10-year-old [in India] can drive a car and a 15-year-old can become a doctor in the US, what is wrong if my son, though not qualified, performs a surgery?” [/QUOTE] Wow, it is amazing how the phrase “though not qualified” escapes his lips without his brain considering what the words actually mean. What is wrong if I, though not qualified, try to drive the goddamn Space Shuttle? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/4 "2007-06-22T05:16:05Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] “If a 10-year-old [in India] can drive a car and a 15-year-old can become a doctor in the US, what is wrong if my son, though not qualified, performs a surgery?” [/QUOTE] Umm, did a 15-year-old actually become a doctor in the US? I’d be very suprised. Do these people actually think “Doogie Howser, M.D.” was a historical document? It seems that the youngest man to become a doctor in Canada, Paras Naik, was 22. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/5 "2007-06-22T06:50:10Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Wow, it is amazing how the phrase “though not qualified” escapes his lips without his brain considering what the words actually mean. What is wrong if I, though not qualified, try to drive the goddamn Space Shuttle? [/QUOTE] There are alot of things IIRC anyone can do under the supervision of an MD ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/6 "2007-06-22T07:09:28Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] There are alot of things IIRC anyone can do under the supervision of an MD [/QUOTE] Yeah, but I don’t think piloting the space shuttle is one of them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/7 "2007-06-22T07:33:12Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] There are alot of things IIRC anyone can do under the supervision of an MD [/QUOTE] Are we talking about “can”? I thought we were talking about “should.” ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/8 "2007-06-22T09:34:03Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Are we talking about “can”? I thought we were talking about “should.” [/QUOTE] Yeah. I’m pretty sure I could do an appendectomy with a qualified, experienced surgeon on hand telling me exactly what to do, but if I’m ever in that situation and the surgeon has two working hands, I’m handing him the scalpel and going off for a drink. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/9 "2007-06-22T10:19:49Z")
Any comments from the patient? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/10 "2007-06-22T10:23:38Z")
[QUOTE=FairyChatMom] Any comments from the patient? [/QUOTE] _Who_ did _what_ to _who_? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/11 "2007-06-22T13:01:20Z")
Non-doctors with limited training _have_ done surgery successfully under less than ideal conditions (for instance, emergency appendectomies on submarines during the Second World War), and trainees accomplish procedures under expert supervision. But in this case if something went wrong and a non-qualified teenager panicked\*, how long would it take the proud daddy to drop the videocamera and get scrubbed in to help? There were two patient lives at stake here. What a numbskull. \*or had to text message his buddies. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/12 "2007-06-22T17:51:19Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Non-doctors with limited training _have_ done surgery successfully under less than ideal conditions (for instance, emergency appendectomies on submarines during the Second World War), and trainees accomplish procedures under expert supervision. But in this case if something went wrong and a non-qualified teenager panicked\*, how long would it take the proud daddy to drop the videocamera and get scrubbed in to help? There were two patient lives at stake here. What a numbskull. \*or had to text message his buddies. [/QUOTE] OMG! SPLNS R SO GROSS! _LOL!_ BRB. PATIENT MAYBE DED. THIS SUXXOR! ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/13 "2007-06-22T18:14:46Z")
[QUOTE=FairyChatMom] Any comments from the patient? [/QUOTE] “Is that a _zipper_?” ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/14 "2007-06-22T18:18:30Z")
15? [Sheesh, he’s practically a geezer](http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/08/25/sprj.sch.wonder.kid.ap/). ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/15 "2007-06-22T18:57:59Z")
[QUOTE=riker1384] Umm, did a 15-year-old actually become a doctor in the US? I’d be very suprised. Do these people actually think “Doogie Howser, M.D.” was a historical document? It seems that the youngest man to become a doctor in Canada, Paras Naik, was 22. [/QUOTE] I think the youngest person to graduate medical school in the US was only 17. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/16 "2007-06-22T19:42:58Z")
We’ve been saving a fortune on dentist bills in our family ever since I brought my five year old a Dremel and a soldering Iron. For the pain we just think about how much we’re actually saving. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/17 "2007-06-22T22:04:57Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] OMG! SPLNS R SO GROSS! _LOL!_ BRB. PATIENT MAYBE DED. THIS SUXXOR! [/QUOTE] IM IN UR WOOMB BIRTHIN UR BROODZ ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-try-for-a-guinness-record-let-teen-son-do-surgery/408953/18 "2007-06-22T22:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] “Is that a _zipper_?” [/QUOTE] Better than “is that a leg,” I guess.