Urologist caught in scandal

BEIJING (AP):

At one moment, the Chinese urologist seemed to be at the height of his career: He had invented a surgical procedure to help patients overcome incontinence and was training doctors in America and elsewhere. The next, Dr Xiao Chuanguo was in handcuffs, confessing that he had hired thugs to attack two persistent critics who called him a fraud.

The scandal has shocked the public and prompted calls for better regulation of medical research in China, where such fraud and misconduct are widespread. Yet, Xiao's case is not such a clear-cut illustration of the problem. More than 30 urologists from the United States (US), Canada, France, India and other countries issued a letter in support of the US-trained surgeon after his arrest late last month.

In China, several former patients have complained about severe side effects, including a worsening of their mobility. The respected Southern Weekly newspaper said in an analysis that poor regulation led to Xiao "treating patients as if they were voluntary lab mice".

Last week, a Beijing court sentenced the 54-year-old doctor to five and a half months in detention for his role in the attacks. Xiao, in police custody, could not be reached for comment.