Psychiatric Risks for Healthcare Workers: Fire-Maniac Syndrome & Patient Violence
- Frédéric Péchier is an anesthesiologist described as a "serial killer" who turned his clinic "into a playground." He allegedly used "his medical skills" to commit "30 acts of...
- The doctor from Besançon, who confessed to nothing during his trial, promptly appealed the decision.
- If the verdict is confirmed on appeal, Frédéric Péchier would then be considered the 3rd most prolific serial killer in France.
Dr. Frédéric Péchier is an anesthesiologist described as a “serial killer” who turned his clinic “into a playground.” He allegedly used “his medical skills” to commit “30 acts of poisoning resulting in the tragic death of 12 victims, and causing irreversible consequences for the other 18.” These are the reasons published by the Besançon court after the former anesthesiologist was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The doctor from Besançon, who confessed to nothing during his trial, promptly appealed the decision. “Crimes that have never been seen in France,” according to Dr. Zagury, the psychiatrist who examined the anesthesiologist.
If the verdict is confirmed on appeal, Frédéric Péchier would then be considered the 3rd most prolific serial killer in France. In this macabre pantheon, he would take his place just after another of his colleagues: Dr. Marcel Petiot, who operated during the German occupation.
Medical Serial killer
“Medicine has produced more serial killers than all other professions combined, with nurses a close second,” writes the British Medical Journal(1). Several examples support this. dr. Harold Shipman, an English doctor convicted of murdering 250 of his patients, “is the most prolific serial killer in the United Kingdom, and probably the world,” according to the Journal of Forensic Sciences(2). This general practitioner killed his patients with an opioid injection during home visits.
In Germany, the most prolific serial killer is a nurse, Niels Högel, convicted in 2025 of 85 murders. In Switzerland, too, it is a nurse, Roger Andermatt, with 22 victims. In the United States, among other more well-known serial killers like Ted Bundy, there is Dr. Michael Swango, suspected of killing more than 60 patients, and Charles Cullen, a nurse. The latter is suspected of killing more than 400 patients, and his macabre journey inspired a Netflix film, “Prescription for Death.”
86% Nurses and 12% Doctors
In a thorough study, the Journal of Forensic…
German nurse confessed to Poisoning Patients to Experience the “Rush” of Resuscitation
Niels Högel, a German nurse dubbed “the Rambo of resuscitation,” deliberately poisoned patients to experience the satisfaction of bringing them back to life, according to German prosecutors. His motivations stemmed from a desire to impress colleagues and quickly gain acceptance within his team.
Psychiatrists described the act of resuscitation as a “drug-like” experience for Högel, who also exhibited severe narcissistic tendencies and a pathological need for self-promotion. This behavior has been linked to a professional version of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychiatric disorder where a caregiver induces illness in a dependent to gain medical attention.
According to authors in the Journal of Forensic Sciences2, this secondary benefit or excitement is characterized as a professional manifestation of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Similar patterns of behavior were observed in the case of richard…