George Doeschner had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for 12 years when his physician told him about an experimental surgery that might offer a cure. Researchers at the University of Colorado were taking cells from embryos and putting them in the brains of Parkinson's patients to replace cells killed by the disease. The 55-year-old electrician applied to be a part of the experiment and flew to Denver. He was prepped for surgery and sedated. A hole was drilled through his skull. Then his surgeons sewed him up and sent him home--without giving him those embryonic cells.
Surgical error? Medicare fraud?...