A shocking case from New York’s medical community drew national outrage in 1999 after Allan Zarkin, a Manhattan obstetrician, admitted that he carved his initials into a patient’s abdomen following a Caesarean section (C-section).
In September that year, Dr. Zarkin delivered a baby girl for 31-year-old dentist Liana Gedz and, while the mother was still under anesthesia, used a scalpel to inscribe the letters “A” and “Z”—his own initials—above the surgical incision. Operating room staff later told investigators that Zarkin had remarked, “I did such a beautiful job, I’ll initial it.”
