The U.K. Radiological Congress (UKRC) has confirmed that the outspoken and controversial "Bionic Vet," Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, will speak at the meeting in 2012 in Manchester.
Fitzpatrick, the subject of a BBC1 television series called "The Bionic Vet," earned the moniker because he became the first surgeon in the world to bioengineer two bionic feet and successfully administer them to a cat named Oscar from Jersey, U.K., who had lost both his feet in an agricultural accident with a combine harvester.
He runs Fitzpatrick Referrals, an orthopedic and neurosurgery practice for animals in Surrey that also includes an entirely digital imaging system with MRI, CT, arthroscopy, and the Eklin direct digital radiography system for small animals.
"All animal guardians should be given all treatment options and that evolution of technique and device must go hand-in-hand with evolution of the acknowledgement that animals are sentient creatures," Fitzpatrick stated on his website. "As such, we have a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure compassionate care, which is the cornerstone of a civilized society and is integral to our progress as a species."
