Wisconsin medical regulators have revoked the license of James M. Shortt, a West Columbia alternative-medicine doctor, based on a suspension order in South Carolina over treatment of two of his patients who died while in his care.

“When you are indicted on a felony, you expect to have your license revoked,” said Ward Bradley, Shortt’s attorney. “It’s not a surprise.”

South Carolina authorities have not revoked Shortt’s license. The state’s medical licensing board suspended Shortt’s license to practice medicine last April.

Jim Knight, spokesman for the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, said his agency has not held a hearing on Shortt’s license.

“There are other cases ahead of that one,” Knight said. “A hearing will be held at some point ... but the point is that he has been suspended and cannot practice in South Carolina.”

Attorney Richard Gergel represents two families who lost relatives who were under Shortt’s care.

“It is striking that Wisconsin has acted to revoke the license of Dr. Shortt on the basis of South Carolina patients’ records, when our own board has not revoked his license,” Gergel said.

The Wisconsin order revoking Shortt’s license closely mirrored the South Carolina order temporarily suspending his right to practice here, Gergel said.

“A natural question is what would it take to revoke one’s license if this isn’t it,” he said.

Sen. Larry Martin, R-Greenville, said he was surprised that South Carolina’s board of medical examiners had not permanently revoked Shortt’s license.

“It doesn’t look good that another state beat us to the punch,” said Martin, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. “I wouldn’t want him practicing in my neighborhood.”

But Martin said he was satisfied that the public had been protected by the board’s temporary suspension. “I would think they believe they had it covered.”

Shortt was indicted in U.S. District Court last year on 43 counts of violating federal drug and medical laws.

He is scheduled for a hearing in federal district court today. Shortt has agreed with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to one conspiracy count in exchange for dismissal of the other 42 charges. It will be up to the federal judge whether to accept the plea agreement.

In revoking Shortt’s medical license, Wisconsin authorities cited nine causes for the revocation, including that he:

• Prescribed testosterone “unlikely to have been prescribed with any legitimate medical justification”

• Prescribed controlled drugs to patients for whom he has not produced records

• Prescribed to men the drugs tamoxifen and clomiphene, hormonal drugs usually prescribed only to women

• Injected patients intravenously with hydrogen peroxide

• Prescribed testosterone to a terminally ill prostate cancer patient

• Diagnosed and treated patients for Lyme disease based only on results of tests by an unaccredited out-of-state laboratory with a 100 percent positive rate for Lyme disease, and failed to report the alleged Lyme disease cases as required by state law

• Assisted a patient in obtaining the illegal substance Laetrile

Shortt has been living in California. Candis Cohen, spokeswoman for the California medical licensing board, said no one named James Shortt is licensed to practice medicine there. She said she could not reveal whether he might have applied for a license because applications are not a public record in California.

Gergel represents the estates of Katherine Bibeau and Michael Bate, who died while under Shortt’s care.

The Richland County coroner, in his death certificate, ruled Bibeau’s death in March a homicide, caused by hydrogen peroxide in her bloodstream.

A pathologist’s autopsy report states: “This unfortunate woman died as (a) direct result of iatrogenic infusion of hydrogen peroxide.” Iatrogenic means done by or caused by medical treatment.

No charges have been filed regarding Bibeau’s death.

Michael Bate died from prostate cancer six weeks after Shortt prescribed a treatment of testosterone, Gergel said. Modern therapy for prostate cancer is to reduce testosterone levels.

“Giving Mr. Bate testosterone was just like throwing gasoline on a smoldering fire,” Gergel said.

Gergel said the Bibeau and Bate families hired him to make sure “no one else dies at the hands of this man.”

Reach Hammond at (803) 771-8474.