Ms Angie Ng

It was the talk of the Grapevine.

The Plaintiff (Angie) did not cut an arresting figure.  She was  fair of face, in her late forties and matronly.  Her short and black curly hair framed a squarish nondescript face. The picture in her file was grotesque. Parts of her head was shaven. Instead of an arching eyebrow on the left of her face, we see a swollen bluish-black mass and an angry gash which cuts along this mass.  She could not open her left eye.

The Defendant (Dr R) was a plastic surgeon, one of the first few to open a leading plastic surgery in the city.  (They are no longer in business.)

According to the file, Angie was born in the East Coast.  When she was ten, her mother took her to a bomoh.  It was one of those beauty therapies they talked about in hushed tones.  Ten gold needles, each a centimetre long, was embedded in her face.  She must have transformed into a rare beauty but the picture in her file bore no testament to this. The years went by.  She married a rich and influential man and settled into mediocrity.

One morning on a facial routine, her fingertips closed in on a protrusion above her left eyebrow.  Worried about the significance of this protrusion, she consulted Dr R.  The surgeon was confident about the case. A simple procedure was all that is required to have the offensive protrusion removed.  For an additional sum, a face-lift can be arranged at the same time.  Beyond any shadow of a doubt, it was a done deal for the surgeon.

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". - Murphy's Law

You know that old adage.  Anything that can go wrong, will.  The procedure was in session.  The surgeon was in control of the situation.  He found the offending needle and promptly removed it. Then, he saw another, and another, and another!  Time was running out.  He lost his marbles.  He panicked.

A few days went by.  It wasn't looking good for Angie.  The wound turned livid and pus appeared.  A second surgery was arranged by the remaining surgeon. (Dr G)  They found a used cotton swab under her wound.  A neurologist from Brisbane was consulted. Subpoenas could not be served.  The long arm of justice fell short.

I left the firm long before the case was settled so I never knew what became of Angie. The neurologist from Brisbane refused to accept her case while the two surgeons from the plastic surgery disappeared without a trace.

If you think that beauty therapies by bomohs are a fallacy, think again.