Physicians are always trying to be a cut above the rest. But according to a new book by Kenneth Iserson, physicians are interested in other kinds of cutting as well. The book, entitled Demon Doctors: Physicians as Serial Killers, provides a background for this growing trend, as well as a discussion of a new degree, offered for the first time at medical schools across the nation, which combines a focus in medicine with that of serial killing. In the text, Iserson cites a surprising statistic. Of the students graduating from U.S. medical schools last year, 30% went into family practice, 60% chose traditional specialities, and 10% elected to pursue the new hybrid degree as a demon doctor/family physician (abbreviated MDD).

According to Iserson, this field is only going to expand. "Medical students are more demanding these days," he says. "They want a specialty that reflects their varied interests. I think this is the wave of the future." However, many physicians disagree. "Like all popular fads in medicine," says Mark McCahill, MD, "the enthusiasm for serial killing will wear off soon enough, and then those with this ridiculous degree won't be able to find a job to save their lives."

Tags: books