Schiavo autopsy shows no sign of trauma, brain half normal size

AP ^ | June 15 2005

[george wythe]

Terri Schiavo did not suffer any trauma before her 1990 collapse and her brain was about half of normal size when she died, according to results released Wednesday of an autopsy conducted on the severely brain-damaged woman.

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon Thogmartin concluded that there was no evidence of strangulation or other trauma leading to her collapse. He also said she did not appear to have suffered a heart attack and there was no evidence that she was given harmful drugs or other substances prior to her death.

He said she would not have been able to eat or drink if she had been given food by mouth as her parents' requested.

[StoneColdTaxHater]

Ok conspiracy idiots, the report is in, now SHUT UP!!!

[zip]

Can you spell "coverup"? Of course, earlier xrays of broken bones indicate "no trauma" in Florida.

[Dave S]

It's a huge conspiracy.

I presume you are being sarcastic but its best not to do that here. Too many of the "brain numbed" will believe you are being serious.

[MEGoody]

No signs of trauma? I'm presuming they mean no sign of being hit with a blunt instrument or something. Obviously, her brain experienced trauma.

That said, the autopsy is interesting, but how does the ME separate out the damage done by being starved/dehydrated to death from damage present prior to same? I don't think there is a foolproof way to do that.

[Jackson57]

Shut up? We're not allowed to question autopsy reports? Just accept them without wanting to know how the results were gotten? I'm not sure you have the moral authority to tell those of us who are somewhat nervous about what this case will mean to our disable community to shut up.

[skip_intro]

Ok conspiracy idiots, the report is in, now SHUT UP!!!

Dream on. They're just getting started.

[DollyCali]

THE STATE OF FLORIDA AGAIN IS AN EMBARRASMENT

[El Gato]

Any medical persons explain how it is her brain shrank to half the size

And how much of that shrinkage was due to dehydration? I thought the "expert opinion" was that she only had 20% of her brain.

A person can function with half their brain. Maybe not as well as before, but they can function. However they need to have therapy and training, which Terri was supposed to get with the settlement money, but never did.

[Dave S]

Stands to reason that death by dehydration would result in significant shrinkage

[Jackson57]

Of course, you're right. Let's get back to examining the Downing Street Memo, shall we?

[redangus]

Thank You

[Jackson57]

And how much of that shrinkage was due to dehydration? I thought the "expert opinion" was that she only had 20% of her brain. Actually, I believe they went as far as to say her brain was just a "bag of water" and nothing more. Guess there was MORE brain there than they thought.

[KillBill]

So? Blind people are people too. It means that the Randall Terry-ites who claimed she responded to visual stimuli were making stuff up, but we all knew that anyway. Doesn't mean they should have killed her.

[Antoninus]

Ah yes. See, she was terribly disabled. It was much better to simply starve her to death. That's what she would have wanted. /sarcasm

We have some truly sick people in this world.

[Dave S]

The human body is mostly water. Weighing a brain after severe dehydration and compairing the results to a normal brain is ridiculous

Her problem wasnt that her brain was shrunk, it was that big chunks of it were missing for over ten years. The entire brain didnt shrink in the final days due to dehydration, parts of the brain died and the tissue rotted away and the space was filled up with spinal fluid as nature abhors a vacuum.

[RockinRight]

Of course people can function with half a brain-most Democrats do that daily.

[marty60]

Just going on what the Doc said. don't get so worked up She's DEAD. Your dreams have come true.

[T.Smith]

Wow. I'm amazed by the number of qualified medical examiners here on FreeRepublic. Who knew this site was so full physicians who are profoundly better qualified that the doctor who performed the autopsy?