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.”
Gedz discovered the scar after returning home, asking her husband for a mirror and finding the carved letters roughly three inches high and one and a half inches wide. She described the experience as being “branded,” saying it left her with intense pain, emotional trauma, and permanent disfigurement.
What happened to Zarkin?
Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, where the surgery occurred, immediately suspended Dr. Zarkin’s privileges and notified state health officials. A subsequent investigation by the New York State Department of Health revealed that the hospital had previously received complaints about Zarkin’s erratic behavior but had not intervened. The New York State Department of Health later fined the hospital $14,000 for seven violations related to oversight and credentialing procedures
Gedz filed a civil lawsuit against Zarkin and the hospital, initially seeking $5.5 million in damages. In February 2000, she settled the case for $1.75 million from Zarkin and dropped her claims against the hospital.
In a separate criminal case, Zarkin pleaded guilty in April 2000 to first-degree assault. As part of a plea agreement, the court sentenced Zarkin to probation and ordered him to attend psychiatric treatment twice weekly, The New York Times reported that year. Authorities revoked his medical license, and he permanently surrendered his right to practice medicine in New York.
Zarkin’s lawyers claimed he suffered from a progressive brain disorder called Pick’s disease, a form of frontal lobe dementia, which they argued caused his impaired judgment.
Known in tabloids at the time as “Dr. Zorro,” Zarkin’s case stood out as one of the most disturbing breaches of patient trust in modern U.S. medicine. It raised enduring questions about physician monitoring, ethical standards, and patient safety in surgical settings.
