Pediatrician: Mentor or an abusive voyeur?

Dan Frith

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This headline from a Washington state newspaper will certainly catch your attention! The story is about prominent pediatrician, William Schnall, a "Jekyll-and-Hyde" doctor who systematically groomed four adolescent patients for his own voyeuristic sexual gratification, jurors were told Tuesday during opening arguments in Schnall's civil malpractice trial.

Dr. Schnall, former president of the medical staff at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, practiced medicine for nearly 30 years in Shoreline, Washington and even served aspresident of the Shoreline School District. He stands accused of malpractice based on violating care standards and professional boundaries with the patients, who now range in age from 18 to 25.

If these allegations are false the plaintiffs and their parents should be held accountable for ruining Dr. Schnall's reputation and career. However, if the allegations are true,Dr. Schnall, his medical colleagues, and the state medical society should be damned and held accountable. You see, if these horrible abuses occurred (and we are talking about 4 separate patients) they did not happen in a vacuum without others knowing about the abuses and looking the other way.

This will be an interesting trial to follow.