Fatal experiments: a maverick surgeon strikes back

“If I had the choice between a transplant of a synthetic trachea and the firing squad I’d choose the last option because this is the least painful form of execution,” says Professor Pierre Delaere.

At times, the language in Fatal Experiments: the Downfall of a Supersurgeon is far from clinical. The documentary, which sparked controversy in Sweden earlier this year and which airs on the BBC this week, slices open the somewhat murky story of Paolo Macchiarini – a brilliant surgeon accused of falsifying scientific results and being investigated over potential charges akin to manslaughter, after attempts to implant plastic windpipes failed and patients died.

In the documentary, we watch archive footage of Macchiarini operate on a young Russian woman with a non-fatal condition; we see him pose for photos alongside apparently “saved” patients; we watch him take phone calls on the beach, holding his shoes; we hear from the families of patients who have died; we hear from the doctors who complained about his methods; we read the disputed extracts from his research papers and, finally, we watch...