Versicherungsmedizin. 1994 Oct; 46(5): 171-4.

[Life threatening complications in alternative medicine--problems in patient education]

Zimmer G, Miltner E, Mattern R.

Institut f�r Rechtsmedizin, Univ. Heidelberg.

The risk of treatment offered by nonmedical practitioners are demonstrated with six casuistic expertise reports. In four cases the treatment had a lethal outcome, because the underlying illnesses had been underestimated or had not been diagnosed. To the authors opinion a patient's consent in a treatment by nonmedical practitioners is inoperative, because a nonmedical practitioner is on principle unable to inform a patient regularly because of his lack of medical knowledge.