Doctor's license revoked after giving hydrogen peroxide

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A doctor well known for promoting alternative therapies has lost an appeal to the Missouri Court of Appeals seeking to keep his medical license.

The appeals court ruling affirms the decision of the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, which revoked the license of Lawrence Dorman in 1999. Dorman is accused of failing to diagnose that his patient, the Rev. Edward St. Clair, 54, was in imminent danger of suffering a heart attack.

Dorman, an Independence physician who has hosted a local radio talk show about health, also is accused of helping to bring about St. Clair's second heart attack by failing to treat him properly. St. Clair died in February 1989.

A Jackson County Circuit judge reviewed the case and denied the appeal request. The case then was appealed to the Missouri Court of Appeals.

The courts granted Dorman a stay that allowed him to continue practicing while the case was appealed.

Dorman's attorney, Dennis Owens, said his client plans to appeal the most recent court decision. He said he will ask the appeals court to rehear the case, and will seek to have the case heard by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Owens said he hoped the courts would continue to allow Dorman to practice through the appeals.

The courts allege St. Clair went to Dorman on Dec. 9, 1988, complaining of a sharp pain in his back radiating to his hands. A blood test revealed he had relatively high cholesterol. No tests were performed to determine if St. Clair's problems were heart-related.

According to court documents, St. Clair returned to Dorman after waking up Dec. 21 with a burning sensation in his chest and a stinging sensation in his back and arms. Dorman performed several tests, including an EKG. He said the EKG "didn't look too bad." Dorman told St. Clair might have an aneurysm of the aorta, and if that was the case there was no cure. He gave him a shot for the pain and samples of a heart medicine that were expired.

St. Clair returned to Dorman two days later. Dorman then allegedly gave St. Clair an intravenous dose of hydrogen peroxide. The doctor promised state officials in September 1988 he would not give hydrogen peroxide to patients until he reached an understanding with the board about the validity of the treatment. He never did.