Get him in contact with the Lisa McPherson Trust. Chances are good he can get a substantial fraction of this money back with their help. THAT is not the case. He really felt that he was helping humanity and the planet. Ah, not exactly.
Social attention is every bit as addictive as drugs.
This is how they get the docs. They play them. I think you might be giving this class of professionals too much credit. They delay earning, true, but clean up later. I think the more significant factor is that dentist and similar professionals work alone, far more so than doctors who get a fair amount of social interactions at hospitals.