‘I have two machines, one for the Tories and one for the Liberals’: Neurologist reprimanded for inappropriate jokes about politics, patients’ tongues

A retired Nova Scotia neurologist is facing a reprimand after making inappropriate jokes about politics and sexual innuendoes to his patients. An investigation from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia’s investigation committee into the conduct of Dr. David Barry King was prompted after complaints from three patients prior to his retirement.The first patient, who attended a consultation with Dr. King in May 2024 and referred to as “Patient A” in the college decision, was asked to open her mouth and stick out her tongue. According to the patient, Dr. King then remarked, “It looks like you've practiced this before," while smiling and winking at her.Dr. King also checked Patient A’s patellar reflexes and told a story about a previous patient who reacted dramatically to reflex testing. He said that if he knocked her knees too hard and they fell off, he could put her on a skateboard and “put [her] on the corner to still make money”—a joke that Patient A believed was a reference to prostitution.On top of that, Patient A said Dr. King kept discussing his political and social views and made a comment about “wanting to strap a bomb to Justin Trudeau's chest and blow him up and kill him.”In the second complaint against Dr. King, a patient referred to as “Patient B” saw Dr. King for a nerve conduction study accompanied by her spouse. She was also asked to stick out her tongue and Dr. King then said, “Very nice.” He also nodded towards Patent B’s spouse and said, “Must keep him happy.”“Both Patient B and her spouse felt that the only plausible interpretation of Dr. King's statement was a sexual one,” the college wrote.Patient B also reported that Dr. King made inappropriate jokes about politics. He told her, “I have two machines, one for the Tories and one for the Liberals, so I hope you are on the right side.”A third patient, known as “Patient C,” also complained about Dr. King’s political statements. He saw Dr. King in May 2024 for a neurological assessment and Dr. King had agreed to arrange follow-up tests in the future. But after a month of not hearing back, Patient C saw Dr. King a second time for another assessment.“Patient C stated that Dr. King spent the remainder of the appointment, more than 3- minutes, discussing his political views in a manner that made Patient C feel he could neither dispute Dr. King's comments nor end the meeting,” the college wrote.Dr. King did not dispute that he made these comments, but in this defence, he told the college his use of humour was meant to establish rapport with patients and help them relax.In addition, the neurologist denied that he had any sexual intent with any of his jokes. Dr. King told the college that the comments about Patients A and B’s tongues were meant to suggest that they were chatty, rather than a sexual innuendo. He also said the joke about the past patient being put “on the corner” was intended to imply begging rather than sex work.However, the college’s investigation committee determined that these comments “could be reasonably regarded as sexualized.”“In the current cases, the Committee concluded that Dr. King’s communications were concerning. The words he used when speaking to patients, when combined with Dr. King's communications of a political nature, fall below acceptable standards,” they wrote.“The Committee has concluded that these communications were unprofessional, leading to a finding of professional misconduct.”The college also noted that Dr. King had previously been cautioned over similar incidents of making inappropriate comments to his patients. Given that Dr. King has since retired, the college concluded no further punishment beyond this reprimand is necessary.

‘I have two machines, one for the Tories and one for the Liberals’: Neurologist reprimanded for inappropriate jokes about politics, patients’ tongues

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