Doctor sentenced by Supreme Court for death of a child due to ear infection treated with homeopathy

The Court of Cassation has upheld the manslaughter conviction of homeopathic doctor Massimiliano Mecozzi in connection with the death of Francesco Bonifazi, a child who died in May 2017. The tragic event occurred due to an ear infection that degenerated into encephalitis, which was treated with homeopathic treatments based on the doctor's instructions.

Liability and inadequate treatment

According to the ruling of the Court of Appeal of Ancona, the doctor would have been found guilty of underestimating the seriousness of the clinical situation and of not having performed an orthoscopic examination. His choice to treat the child exclusively with homeopathic therapies, without administering the necessary antibiotic treatments, contrasts with the recommendations of the Guidelines of the Italian Society of Pediatrics and the Ministry of Health. Furthermore, Dr. Mecozzi would have encouraged the parents not to use antibiotics, mentioning possible serious side effects such as deafness and hepatic coma.

The growing testimonies

During the trial, Francesco's grandfather, assisted by the lawyer Federica Mancinelli, and the National Consumers Union, represented by the lawyer Corrado Canafoglia, presented evidence of the doctor's negligent conduct. The defense investigations also revealed that Francesco's case was not isolated, with similar precedents in New Zealand in 1991 and in Pennsylvania in 2015, where two other children had died due to infections inadequately treated with homeopathy.

The words of the lawyers

“Francesco’s entire family, after years of great pain and difficulty, has today seen the truth finally recognized,” commented lawyer Mancinelli. He also emphasized that the family had turned to a professional who was regularly registered with the professional association with the expectation of receiving adequate care. Lawyer Canafoglia also highlighted how “the Supreme Court ruling puts an end to a particularly challenging process,” reiterating the importance of addressing health problems through conventional medicine, warning that homeopathic treatments, if not effective after three days, must be accompanied by an official therapy.