An Associated Press item datelined Norfolk, Virginia, May 14, 1996:

A man who cut off his right hand because he thought it was possessed by the devil, then refused to let surgeons reattach it, is suing the hospital and the doctors for $3.35 million over the loss of his hand.

Thomas W. Passmore claims doctors at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital should have contacted his parents or his sister to overrule his decision.

According to the lawsuit, Passmore, a 32-year-old working on a construction job, thought he saw the number "666" on his hand and believed it was a demonic sign. Obeying the Biblical instruction "If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off," Passmore sliced off his hand with a circular saw.

At the hospital, Passmore told doctors he had a history of psychiatric disorders, including manic-depression, and had had little sleep and little food for the past week.

The hospital contacted a judge, who advised against reattaching the hand without knowing Passmore was incompetent, the lawsuit said.

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