Dr John Henry Hagmann, aka the ‘mad scientist’, made students perform human experiments

A FORMER US Army doctor is accused of drugging medical students and forcing them to perform procedures on each other.

Supplied Editorial mad scientist

A FORMER US Army doctor is accused of drugging medical students and forcing them to perform procedures on each other.

The Virginia Board of Medicine alleges that in 2012 and 2013, Doctor John Henry Hagmann supplied at least 14 medical students and military officers with drugs and liquor and made them “independently perform, on each other, invasive medical procedures”.

These procedures allegedly took place at a number of locations, including the Uniformed Services University in Maryland. Other courses in Virginia, North Carolina and the United Kingdom followed suit under his business Deployment Medicine International.

A detailed, 15-page report alleges participants were “pressured” to engage in “ketamine” or “alcohol labs”, where both drugs were administered in quick succession, “so that he could assess the effects of these substances on their cognition”.

Some students “consented” when they were under the influence of heavy doses of alcohol.

These procedures included inserting catheters into the genitalia of other students, and penile nerve block procedures on others.

During one particular course, “when several of the course participants began suturing (stitching up the wound), Dr. Hagmann left the area, claiming that he could not bear to watch”.

According to the report, course participants watched an educational video and afterwards were encouraged to “practice” on one another.

One female and four males were catheterised, some of them twice.

One student, known as “Patient D” was only informed “he would receive ketamine, followed by ‘a procedure’.”

Others would either inject themselves or administer others with Morphine, viagra, a date-rape drug known as Lorazepam and sedatives including Midazolam.

mad scientist

At one July 2013 course in North Carolina, students were asked to consume 8 shots of rum within ten minutes. Some drank 12. Afterwards, they were injected with ketamine and observed for their behaviour. One participant received a penile nerve block.

Furthermore, Hagmann conducted “shock labs”, a procedure where blood was withdrawn from trainees and transferred back into their systems while monitoring the body for shock.

The report says the procedures were “not undertaken ... in good faith ... were undocumented and were not performed under adequate or appropriate sterile conditions”.

It is alleged Dr Hagmann sometimes withheld critical medical information to some students after they started questioning sections of their training.

“He was ‘trying to embarrass her’ in retaliation for the criticism”, one example reads.

The same report accuses Hagmann of sexually exploiting at least two other students after they had difficulty passing a catheter.

“Dr Hagmann approached the patient and recommended a ‘private’ prostate exam to determine a physical reason for the difficulty,” reads the report.

“At approximately 10:30pm that evening, Dr Hagmann conducted a detailed physical examination of Patient A’s penis, testicles and rectum, and the patient later stated to a uniformed services university investigating officer that the rectal exam ‘took longer than expected and made me feel uncomfortable’”.

It is alleged he plied another student with alcohol before “examining, manipulating and photographing his penis”.

The shock findings were detailed in the dossier in March for the Virginia Board of Medicine, who oversees the handling of doctors’ practices in the United States.

The board temporarily suspended Hagmann’s license the same month.

A hearing is set for June 19 where Hagmann will appear before the Medical Board and a decision will be made of his guilt. His medical license could be permanently revoked.

The shock allegations come after a student raised the alarm in July 2013.

“The moment the department and USU leadership were informed that these events occurred, the institution immediately suspended the relationship with Dr. Hagmann, his course, and his company,” said Sharon Holland, a spokeswoman for the Uniformed Services University.

“The procedures used during the training were not authorised by USU faculty. We launched an investigation and those findings prompted a report to the Virginia Medical Board.”

Yet Hagmann maintains his innocence.

In a statement to Reuters, he said: “The mechanisms and protocols utilized in the training all comply with standard practices for training medical students and are, in fact, utilized in medical schools in Virginia.”

He said “the courses and procedures in question were all reviewed and approved” by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a US government-lead medical school that aims to train and prepare medical students to support the army.

“For a future or current medical care provider, having practice in a safe, controlled, voluntary setting has a huge value and benefit in improving self confidence and self image.”

Of the sexual misconduct allegations, he said: “Claims of sexual misconduct cause me the most anguish. Absolutely no ‘sexual gratification’ was involved and there is no evidence of such.”

Dr Hagmann practised emergency medicine in the US Army for two decades, eventually ranking a lieutenant colonel.

After retiring, he formed Deployment Medicine Consultants, where most of his contracts lie within the US Military.

“We are the single largest trainer of US military forces in operational medicine throughout world, and our record for excellence stands unchallenged,” reads the website.

news.com.au has contacted the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

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