As awe-inspiring as the technological advances in medicine can be, its core is undeniably found in the men and women who practice it.

The vast majority of medical professionals are no doubt inspirational individuals for their tireless efforts to aid the sick and dying, but as with any human endeavor, there are those who subvert that noble cause. Some operate under the same umbrella of trust granted to their colleagues, but use it only to advance their own selfish aims — usually a larger profit. Others fraudulently claim the mantle of healer in order to do the same and/or because they mistakenly believe their methods are truly revolutionary and beneficial. Whatever their original motives, though, the repercussions for their patients are largely the same: broken bodies, empty wallets, and tragically cut short lives.

Though no list alone could capture the extent of harm committed by these charlatans, Medical Daily is taking a look at some of this year’s worst culprits. For the purposes of the list, we’ll be looking at people who were either arrested or remanded in some capacity this year, even if their misdeeds may have occurred some time ago. In other words, people whose quackery was finally exposed to the sunlight in 2015.

Check out our slideshow to see some of the worst that medicine has to offer.

Stethoscope
Medical Daily takes a look at the worst people to claim the mantle of healer this year. Adrian Clark, CC BY-ND 2.0