PARIS: Voted France’s most promising young actor in 1996 at the age of 25, Guillaume Depardieu was set to follow in the footsteps of his father, Gerard Depardieu, the internationally- known star whose films have been box office successes around the world.

Seven years later, however, Guillaume is very bitter, not only because last June 6th he underwent the amputation of one of his legs, but also because he feels he should never have been contaminated by one of the infectious diseases — referred to as nosocomial — that are so commonplace in hospitals, doctors’ offices and waiting rooms. Last year alone in France, nosocomical was responsible for the contamination of 800,000 persons and 4,000 deaths.

The problem is so widespread, says Gullaume, that he’s decided not only to sue the doctors who should have thought twice before contaminating him, but also create a foundation — which could very well become international given the proportions of the nosocomial disease problem in the developed world.

“They screwed up life,” said Guillaume Depardieu of the doctors whom he holds responsible for the contamination that forced him to have his leg cut off.

Guillaume also wants to force doctors into taking psychology courses, “that way,” he says, “they wouldn’t take us for fools any more.”