Wednesday, August 20, 2003 Posted: 10:51 PM EDT (0251 GMT)
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- A Brazilian man who went to a clinic to have an aching ear checked ended up having a vasectomy after mistakenly believing that the doctor had called his name.
A manager at the Doctor Jose Carlos de Espirito Santo clinic in the town of Montes Claros in southeastern Minas Gerais State told Reuters on Wednesday Valdemar Lopes de Moraes, 39, entered the vasectomy room when Aldemar Aparecido Rodrigues' name was called.
"He was called by the full name and yet thought it was him. But the strangest thing is that he asked no questions when the doctor started preparations in the area which had so little to do with his ear," Vanessa Guimaraes said.
"He later explained that he thought it was an ear inflammation that got down to his testicles," she added.
De Moraes, a farmer who has two children, did not want to reverse the operation, performed last week, and showed up for an ear exam on Wednesday at the same clinic.
"A local newspaper said he is going to sue us, but he did not tell us about any claims," Guimaraes said.