In a civil court action, financial compensation is the means of exchange for righting a wrong. Broadly speaking, it is the civil equivalent of being convicted.
Punishment is made in the form of assigning financial compensation to the aggrieved party.
This is particularly true in suits involving destruction of health. This is particularly true if they have an ardent interest in the subject. Because of long term care giving, they are intimately familiar with their patient's condition, both emotionally and medically. The personal physician develops a level of interest for a patient whose condition they know very well through personal, long term observation. Many of them have a keen interest in their specialty that drives them to clarify issues and develop remedies.