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John Pickstone, professor of the history of science and founder of the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM) at the University of Manchester, UK on Friday 12th June, 2010 made a conciliatory gesture toward me following six plus years of dispute I have had with Professor Michael Worboys, the current head of CHSTM, concerning his behaviour toward me on and after 16.3.04, and that of Dr Julie Anderson in mid 2004.
Professor Pickstone's offer enables me to rescue a tiny part of my scholarship.
Professor Pickstone's gesture goes a tiny, tiny way toward repairing the massive damage done to me on and after March/April 2004 by Professor Worboys, by Dr Julie Anderson and by the University of Manchester. They all behaved immorally and with arrogance and mindless stupidity. I will retract not one word of my disgust at the manner in which they participated with others in destroying in 2004 all that my life was about. They hid in the grubby skirts of the MHAct which allowed them to cover their initial and separate wrong doing, taking advantage knowingly or otherwise in the astonishing medical and clinical incompetence of Drs M Balraj, Dr D Burley and then Dr P Sclare and others.
A resolution procedure existed and had been agreed to by me with Professor Worboys. Professor Worboys chose to cancel that procedure and ignore what I had agreed to of his terms and to shuffle out of his responsibility by taking advantage of the medical incompetence.
See: http://www.gavaghancommunications.com/mhact.html,
http://www.gavaghancommunications.com/myresearch.html and
http://www.gavaghancommunications.com/previous.html.
Professor Worboys assumed the worst of me when there was no worst in me to bother him or his staff. He rode rough shod over my life as though my life and I were of no value. He closed down every opening that could easily have taken the heat out of a dispute that ought not to have existed and which I did not want. This allowed also the medical profession to behave like bully boys: accept what we say without question of have no more of the life you had chosen and had earned. Their attitude prevented them from learning they were wrong and how. I fear for the "collateral" damage of their lies and obfuscations and half truthes. I firmly believe the attitudes inculcated by the MHAct, an Act of Fascist ignorant obscenity,
do massive damage to society and to medicine.
Though Professor Pickstone has given me back a tiny sense of myself it in no way compensates for the sheer stupidity of the fact this situations was not resolved in 2004 with honesty from Profesor Worboys about his suddenly changed attitude toward me. I had worked with energy and intelligence and was very happy with my progress and aims and that I was changing career.
Professor Worboys' offer to facilitate my transfer to another University and without explanation was an insult. His accusation I was not getting on with staff and that he had to be concerned for students -- all of whom it was my understanding I had no problem of any significance with -- was an insult. He insulted me and my referees. He played a part in driving me to bankruptcy and struck at a time and in a way that meant I could not back track to the life and work I had when I first joined his department. He behaved in this manner having encouraged me for 18 months. His attitude and that of the medical profession cost me my life's savings. He might not have taken me seriously but I took him seriously. He was lucky in that the medical profession wrongly gave him cover of his wrong doing.
So I am grateful for Professor Pickstone's modest gesture, namely, that if I prepare some work for submission as a private scholar for publication (my understanding being he has in mind peer review) he will "take a look at it".
See http://www.gavaghancommunications.com/gcreferences.html
Helen Gavaghan, 16.6.10.
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