Abstract

Not so long ago the occasional story would be told in the news that someone with a fascination for all things medical had spent months or even years masquerading as a doctor in a large and anonymous hospital. No doubt the absence of such stories today is due to heightened security and vigilance, partly as a result of the realization among hospital staff that such individuals were indeed at large. No doubt too the number of such cases was due to the opportunity afforded by the freedom of movement of professional staff and the size of the institution in question. For that reason, it is hard to imagine such opportunities existing elsewhere, then or now. Nonetheless, it may be heuristic to think of this situation..