Originally Posted by
Vixen
Well, in fifteenth century [what we now know as] Germany, the executioner himself was a convicted murderer because being an executioner was not considered respectable. They were shunned by society and lived on the outskirts. Nobody wanted the job. So they had to force people and who better than someone who already showed a mean streak and had previous experience?
These days presumably it is a medic who administers the lethal drugs. I would have thought that was against the Hippocratic Oath.
That subject comes up a lot.
To the best of my knowledge, only doctors swear to the Hippocratic Oath, and no doctor actually does anything related to the execution except verify that the victim is dead, and stands by in case the execution is called off or some other event occurs where the victim requires medical assistance. The doctor takes no active part in the execution itself.
I'm not sure who puts in the IV. i.e. Is it a medical technician? Or is it just a prison staffer whose only medical training is in how to insert an IV? I know that it is not a medic of any sort who turns on the poison to kill the target of the execution.