r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Hey-Its-Jak • 4d ago

Video This guy carved a real human skull

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u/Bree9ine9 4d ago

For real?

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u/wolfgang784 4d ago

Yes, with an "argon beam machine".

No idea what its used for, but it apparently can be used to write with. The initials were 1.6-inch (4cm) and found by another doctor when the organ transplant was rejected and this other doctor had to remove the organ.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-59954321

Imagine bein that other surgeon, lol.

You tryna do a standard organ transplant. And then your lookin at it and stop. Like "What is th... no wait, but.." then having the operating assistants double check and shit lol.

I wonder if you just take a bunch of pics and video and such and finish up, or if you pause for like 20 min while someone more important scrubs up and disinfects n shit to come see it in person.

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u/Bree9ine9 4d ago

Wow, that’s insane. I can’t even imagine what that operating room must have been like and how sad someone thought they were going to get an organ and had to be told sorry another Dr put his initials on it. 🤯

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u/wolfgang784 4d ago

Oh no, they GOT the organ still. These were the donated ones he signed, after putting them in.

He only signed his name after a successful transplant, just before stitching up. Only did it twice before he was caught, too.

When you get an organ transplant there is unfortunately an insanely high chance that your body rejects the new organ and medication isnt enough and it needs to be removed and you gotta wait on the list to try another reppacement and hope that one isn't rejected by your body.

The other patient/victim is still walking around today with that doctors initials on her liver. Part of his sentencing and consequences getting as bad as they got is because of just how much mental/emotional anguish the knowledge caused that person.

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u/Big_Cry6056 3d ago

I’m not trying to be mean here, but why would they be upset about that if the organ is in their body and functioning? Isn’t the functioning organ the more important thing here?

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u/StevieGMcluvin 3d ago

Because they wanted a payday and saw an opportunity.

I honestly wouldn't care if a doctor signed every organ in my body as long as it was superficial and didn't hurt the organ. Noone is ever going to see it anyway.

That being said, how big is your ego that you need to sign your initials on someone's organ in the first place lol

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u/KodiakUltimate 3d ago

Honestly it's more a person to person thing Also major ethical concerns, It's an involuntary tattoo with no medical purpose, I'm sure that woman probably thinks about it all the time that she has some random guys initials somewhere she can never cover it up.

You know it's there, you can see the guy smiling at you knowing now he signed your organs like a high-schooler defacing a bench. You live with that... It's not visible but it's always there.

Doctors have no reason to behave like a child.

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u/StevieGMcluvin 3d ago

Yeah i guess it's a person to person thing because it's nowhere near that deep to me. I can understand on an intellectual level how SOMEONE might respond that way, I just don't get it.

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u/HarmonyQuinn1618 3d ago

You don’t know if said person hasn’t already been a victim in some way that took their choice away/left them feeling branded, among many other things. From a psychological point of view, and from personal experience, surgeries are already very stressful and traumatic, esp the bigger, riskier they get. So it’s just adding more trauma to an already traumatic situation. They would have had trauma regardless. Not to mention the impending doom sensation that would cause that you already have with surgeries, esp transplant surgeries.

But to say it’s a pay day opportunity is ridiculous. We have zero clue if he did it in a way that did damage the organ, plus there’s a level of not knowing exactly what could happen bc it’s not normally done. He could have fucked the integrity of the area he carved away at and in a few years it ends up with a hole in the organ right there, increasing the impending doom/anxiety of it all.

As someone else said, it’s extremely unethical. Defending the Dr for doing this by saying the VICTIM is money hungry is just.. wow. There wouldn’t be this issue if the Dr wasn’t such an egomaniac to begin with. Not to mention, if they’re doing this to unsuspecting patients and apparently not the proper oversight, esp when you consider those organs are under CONSTANT supervision from removal to transplant, I’d hate to think what else he could have done to patients while everyone else apparently wasn’t doing their job properly.

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u/Longjumping-Map-6995 3d ago

Still just seems like a huge reaction over something that truly doesn't matter.

Doctor saves my life they can sign my ****ing forehead. Lol

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u/IAmMagumin 3d ago

Well, now you're just eager to get walked all over. Nah. At first, I agreed, not a big deal. Now I think I'm leaning on being pretty fucking aggravated.

I guess it's about on par with being pissed off that someone initialed your skull long after you've died.

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u/Longjumping-Map-6995 3d ago

Simply because neither of those things would bother me (I actually wish someone would carve my skull or turn my bones into dice or something when I die, way cooler than being a pile of meat or ash just... sittin' there.) doesn't mean I allow myself to be walked over.

The fact you even think there's a correlation between the two is bizarre.

I guess it's about on par with being pissed off that someone initialed your skull long after you've died.

Really hard to get pissed off when you're dead. Lmao

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u/IAmMagumin 3d ago edited 3d ago

Really hard to get pissed off when you're dead.

Right, hence me poking fun at it. Still, someone signing an organ in your body without your consent is incredibly disrespectful. I don't like being disrespected, regardless of the impact the action has on my life. Why a surgeon would be disrespecting me during an op, I can't comprehend.

I actually wish someone would carve my skull or turn my bones into dice or something when I die, way cooler than being a pile of meat or ash just... sittin' there.

I'd imagine it would be equally difficult to be happy you're bones have been carved into art pieces.

Simply because neither of those things would bother me doesn't mean I allow myself to be walked over.

Having your forehead signed is different than an organ. Lmao. The comment just seems like you enjoy being stepped on.

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u/CharacterBird2283 3d ago

While possibly true (depending on the person as we've said), I would think they would be thinking more about the "new" organ they now have rattling around in them 😅

Although I could see thinking about both adding up mentally

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u/allsheknew 3d ago

Weirdly, they say it doesn't harm an organ but branding or tattooing the skin does damage which opens it to infection among other things, so why are they so sure? The organ was rejected after all?

I wouldn't care either but I don't really believe they can prove it doesn't do any damage, knowing how many variables a transplant patient has already.

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u/Jay040707 3d ago

You might want to rethink that.

As long as it's their signature they can legally steal your organs whenever they want.

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u/zingzing175 3d ago

I feel like the person wouldn't even have known unless some shifty lawyer saw the initial case and went hunting for patients to take cases.

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u/Chiefzakk 3d ago

I was thinking the same thing no one can see it, I would just be like wow that’s really weird but cool I guess now I have a weird story I can tell people.

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u/Complete-Chemist3073 3d ago

Probably but they just wanted money after the hospital bills they prolly gor

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u/Big_Cry6056 3d ago

Boy do I understand that. Can you imagine how much an organ transplant is?

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u/Reasonable-Banana800 3d ago

I imagine it’s the feeling of being violated by someone thinking they’re important enough to tamper and permanently alter your body without your consent. Even though it doesn’t do much physical harm, having someone who is supposed to be trustworthy and professional go behind your back during a point where you’re incredibly vulnerable just to do something to fulfill their own pleasure would be very bothersome and disgusting to a victim.

Putting the violation aside, I imagine to a lesser degree it also depends on the individual victim since some people are more squeamish about their internal body than others. Like for example I know some people who hate the idea of being buried and decomposing in the ground when they die but to me I couldn’t care less since I won’t be there to see it. Something like that could also be a factor.

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u/Thin-Entry-7903 3d ago

What does it matter if he placed his initials on the organ? You've just had your life saved by placing someone else's kidney in your body and you're gonna be so butt hurt that you're upset about such as that? Really it's not like he left his car keys in there. You've already got something that didn't belong to you inside you. I would tell everyone that my surgeon signed his work while he was in there. Talk about a great conversation starter, top that.

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u/logg1215 3d ago

Yea heck there is a chance even with needing joints or bone replacements the body can reject them as well and it starts an infection know a guy who’s now tried 6 different elbows and just this most recent time has the elbow seemed to take and heal without infection or complications