Many artists “moonlight� in other professions to earn an extra pound or two but few tattoo artists moonlight as orthopaedic surgeons. One surgeon, however, did just that. Doctor Steven Kirshner went one tattoo too far however, on April 28, when he secretly applied a temporary tattoo to his patient, Elizabeth Mateo, and has now incurred a law suit.

“A little help from a friend is suggested, particularly if your tattoo is being applied to an awkward area. Stretching or twisting the skin may distort the tattoo or damage the quality of the image on you skin, so ask a mate to do it for youâ€� reads T   om, the largest online temporary tattoo parlor’s How To guide to applying fake tattoos. There was no chance, of Elizabeth Mateo stretching or twisting while a neat little red rose was being applied directly under the line of her knickers, however, because she was unconscious.

“Getting ink done is a tricky process and many people try fake tattoos out before committing to permanent ink but I’ve never heard anything quite like this before,â€� gasps TattooF   om, in disbelief.

The lawsuit filed in the United States, in Camden County Superior Court, was combined with a complaint to the New Jersey Board of Medical examiners against orthopedic surgeon, Steven Kirshner, M. D. The charges he faces are invasion of privacy, battery and violations of the State Medical Board’s regulations, prohibiting sexual contact, unchaperoned access to unclothed patients and voyeurism. The patient is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as appropriate administrative action against Dr. Kirshner’s medical license.

According to the suit filed by the woman’s attorney, Gregg Shivers of Cherry Hill, the woman first noticed the tattoo the morning after undergoing back surgery at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Burlington. Her husband found the rose and was at a lost as to where it could have come from. When asked, Elizabeth Mateo was bemused – was she going mad? Where did it come from? The local Police were called to support the investigation but it was not until Mateo’s husband queried with the surgeon that the puzzle was at last solved.

When contacted by both Mateo’s angry husband and the hospital administration, the doctor openly admitted to committing the act while the patient was under anesthesia despite the need to lift up the patient’s hospital gown, knowing that she was not wearing undergarments because of the surgery.

None of the hospital staff observed the doctor’s strange covert artistry and the patients have announced they are happy with the hospitals immediate and active response. Virtua Health and its employees were not aware of doctor Kirshner’s inappropriate conduct prior to the report by the patient.
Robert Agre, Kirshner’s defense lawyer explains: “Kirshner is a wonderful doctor with a great sense of humor who is beloved at Virtua, by staff and patients alike. Kirshner has placed fun, post-surgical tattoos on patients in the past as a way to celebrate with the patient the successful surgery. He in no way intended to offend her." said Agre. "He thought it would make her chuckle and make her feel a little better.�
TattooF   om explains: “People can afford to be a little bit silly with our tattoos as they only last for up to 10 days. There are always people putting them on their friends when they are drunk and situations like that. We make sure that our website explicitly guides people how to remove the tattoos as well but what that doctor has done certainly crosses the line.â€�