Dr. Death | S1: Dr. Duntsch Wondery

All physicians are taught, “First do no harm.” But what happens when a doctor does harm his patients?

Dr. Robert Henderson was a veteran spinal surgeon in Dallas when he got an unusual phone call from a local hospital: a new surgeon had operated so poorly that a patient who’d walked in on her own two feet now couldn’t even wiggle her toes. Dr. Henderson had seen a lot, but he wasn't prepared for this. The surgery was so bad, in fact, he asked himself whether this person possibly be an impostor impersonating a physician?

“Death Don’t Have No Mercy” performed by Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams, courtesy of Rough Diamond Records.

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Chris Duntsch was a promising medical student, with a bright future ahead of him. The friends who knew him were shocked at the doctor he would later become. Not Chris, they said. That’s not the man I know. The Chris Duntsch they knew was driven, hard-working, smart, with a twinkle in his eye. And no one believed they knew Chris Duntsch better than his best friend, Jerry Summers.

“Death Don’t Have No Mercy” performed by Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams, courtesy of Rough Diamond Records.

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Kimberly Morgan was attracted to Christopher Duntsch from the moment she met him. He was charming and seemed destined for great things. But she also saw another side to him. Duntsch’s behavior led many people who came into contact with him to wonder: Was he an impaired physician? A terrible surgeon? Or a cold-blooded killer?

“Death Don’t Have No Mercy” performed by Delaney Davidson and Marlon Williams, courtesy of Rough Diamond Records.

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If a doctor is fired from a hospital, the hospital should report it immediately. That’s how problem doctors are prevented from getting hired elsewhere. But the places where Dr. Duntsch operated failed to report him to the proper authorities. If they had, maybe Duntsch’s path of destruction would have been stopped much sooner.

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Dr. Henderson and Dr. Kirby were screaming for anyone to listen who might help them get Dr. Duntsch to stop operating. Kirby wrote to the Texas Medical Board. He and Henderson went to the police. But no one was listening.

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Have a burning question about Dr. Death? Host Laura Beil will be hosting an AMA on Reddit next Thursday, September 27th at 12pm CT / 1pm ET to discuss the making of the series and much more. To stay updated, follow us on Twitter. 

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Michelle Shughart has her work cut out for her, since no doctor has ever been prosecuted for crimes committed while practicing medicine. His patient’s lives would never be the same, but what would what would be the fate of Dr. Duntsch? The people in Dallas struggle to understand what drove him to do such horrible things. And what happens if the system faces another “Dr. Death.” 

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Listen ad free with Wondery+, including exclusive bonus episodes. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/drdeath




See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.