Alan Doerhoff

In 2006, Dr. Alan Doerhoff, the self-proclaimed "world's authority on lethal injection," was banned from participating in lethal injection executions in his home state of Missouri. A judge also halted the state's execution program, citing Doerhoff's own admission that he has dyslexia and that he sometimes transposed numbers while mixing lethal drugs as a major concern.CNN.com: Dyslexic doctor has overseen 40 executions Los Angeles Times: Doctor barred by state helps in U.S. executions

In June of 2006, a federal judge halted all executions in the state of Missouri. The decision came after the testimony of a then-anonymous physician, who admitted having dyslexia. The doctor, who was later identified as Alan Doerhoff, said he sometimes made mistakes in dosages of lethal drugs administered to condemned prisoners. The judge ordered a review of Missouri's execution protocols, citing concerns that the state was administering unconstitutionally cruel punishment to its death row inmates. On August 27, 2008, the state of Missouri was scheduled to execute its first prisoner under its new court-written execution protocol.FOXNews.com: Judge Halts Missouri Executions, Orders Changes (June 26, 2006) CNN.com: Dyslexic doctor has overseen 40 executions STLtoday: Behind the mask of the execution doctor (July 30, 2006)

"These guys are scared to death, they're shaky. I assure them I've taken care of everything so that nothing will go wrong. I help them calmly go through the procedure."CNN.com: Dyslexic doctor has overseen 40 executions (August 15, 2008)—Alan Doerhoff