Dr. X Indicted

When more than a dozen apparently unexplainable deaths occurred among patients at tiny Riverdell Hospital in suburban Oradell, N.J., in 1965-66, a young doctor finally decided to act on his suspicions. Opening the chief surgeon's locker, he found 18 mostly empty vials of curare--a highly lethal drug sometimes used in small doses to relax muscles during surgery. No charges were ever brought against the surgeon --who explained he was merely using the relaxant for experiments on dogs.

Last week, after a series of articles by New York Times Reporter M.A. Farber on the nearly forgotten case (TIME, March 22), a grand jury indicted the surgeon. Initially identified only as "Dr. X" in Farber's accounts, Argentine-born Dr. Mario E. Jascalevich, 48, was charged with murdering five of the patients. Their bodies, recently exhumed, all contained traces of curare.

At his arraignment, Jascalevich --who once said fellow doctors might be trying to "frame" him--pleaded not guilty and was released on $150,000 bail until his trial. Unless his license is lifted, he will probably continue to perform surgery at two other New Jersey hospitals, where he is considered a highly competent craftsman.

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