Key Takeaways:
- French orthopaedic surgeon lists patient’s X-ray as NFT in the current NFT mania.
- The doctor marks this incident as an “error”.
- The victim’s association has made a derogatory remark against the doctor.
A senior French surgeon attempted to sell a patient’s X-ray to cash in on the current NFT mania. He is now having a legal battle and may face disciplinary charges against him.
Emmanuel Masmejean, an orthopaedic surgeon, tried to trade the X-ray of a concert-goer shot at the Bataclan music hall in 2015. The image presented the forearm of the patient carrying a Kalashnikov bullet and was used as a digital collectable without the patient’s consent. The said NFT was on sale on OpenSea for $2,776.
The head of Paris’s public hospitals, Martin Hirsch, confirmed the incident and commented on it as “disgraceful” and “scandalous”. He also said, “This act is contrary to sound professional practice, puts medical secrecy in danger, and goes against the values of AP-HP (Paris hospitals) and public service.
The surgeon said that the listing of the image as an NFT was “an error” and that he regrets not seeking permission from the patient. The patient’s identity is still not disclosed, but the death of her boyfriend during the concert has been revealed. Emmanuel described that the patient “had an open fracture of the left forearm with a remaining bullet of Kalashnikov in soft tissues.”
The victim’s affiliation Life for Paris has made an announcement stating, “stood alongside the victim of the attack who is today the victim of stupidity…by a ‘doctor’ who has evidently forgotten his ethical code.”
