On Friday morning, before the first autopsy on Michael Jackson had been completed, I wrote an article in these pages to explain just what an autopsy is, why it’s done, and what we could expect from it (I’m a former medical examiner and a board-certified forensic pathologist). As I predicted, the initial examination of his body with the naked eye, which is called the “gross” examination, was inconclusive, in part because further tests, which take days to complete under any circumstances, were required. These tests include the microscopic examination of small samples of each of the organs as well as toxicology tests of the stomach contents, blood, bile and urine. The toxicology tests look for the presence or absence any chemicals including prescription drugs, recreational or illegal drugs, toxins such as heavy metals like lead or mercury, or even poisons such as arsenic (these are all simply examples and not […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
When any person dies suddenly or unexpectedly it becomes the responsibility of the medical examiner to determine the cause of death. Such is the case in the tragic death of Michael Jackson at the all too young age of 50. When I worked as a medical examiner in Washington, D.C., in the early 1980s, our policy was to automatically do a full autopsy investigation on anyone 50 or under regardless of their medical history. Over 50 and we might waive the autopsy if there were a clear medical history of illness or disease and there were absolutely no suspicious circumstances, as investigated by the homicide unit of the D.C. police force.
Of course it goes without saying that for someone like Michael Jackson, who died suddenly at age 50 yesterday without any obvious cause, that a full scale investigation will be conducted including a complete autopsy and full toxicology work up. […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
When any person dies suddenly or unexpectedly it becomes the responsibility of the medical examiner to determine the cause of death. Such is the case in the tragic death of Michael Jackson at the all too young age of 50. When I worked as a medical examiner in Washington, D.C., in the early 1980s, our policy was to automatically do a full autopsy investigation on anyone 50 or under regardless of their medical history. Over 50 and we might waive the autopsy if there were a clear medical history of illness or disease and there were absolutely no suspicious circumstances, as investigated by the homicide unit of the D.C. police force.
Of course it goes without saying that for someone like Michael Jackson, who died suddenly at age 50 yesterday without any obvious cause, that a full scale investigation will be conducted including a complete autopsy and full toxicology work up. […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
The news of Natasha Richardson’s tragic death after a skiing accident has shocked us all; especially because of the apparently minor nature of her injury and that she was quickly up and about and talking immediately afterwards. Unfortunately, however, Ms. Richardson suffered a near textbook case of what’s called epidural hematoma. I say near because she was 45 and epidural hematoma is more likely to happen in younger adults with the average age being 20-30 (it’s rare after 50). But the rest of the awful story is only too typical. The only positive thing about epidural hematoma is that it is a rare event. In fact, it only is found in about one to four percent of traumatic head injuries.
It is also a cruel irony that March is Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM). And doubly so because, according to the Brain Injury Association of America, the focus of BIAM in […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
The news of Natasha Richardson’s tragic death after a skiing accident has shocked us all; especially because of the apparently minor nature of her injury and that she was quickly up and about and talking immediately afterwards. Unfortunately, however, Ms. Richardson suffered a near textbook case of what’s called epidural hematoma. I say near because she was 45 and epidural hematoma is more likely to happen in younger adults with the average age being 20-30 (it’s rare after 50). But the rest of the awful story is only too typical. The only positive thing about epidural hematoma is that it is a rare event. In fact, it only is found in about one to four percent of traumatic head injuries.
It is also a cruel irony that March is Brain Injury Awareness Month (BIAM). And doubly so because, according to the Brain Injury Association of America, the focus of BIAM in […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
When death strikes someone at a young age it is always tragic. And there are always questions. For most, the questions are limited to the family, friends and perhaps to some in the local community. For celebrities, the questions become national, even international. Sometimes the questions are about the cause of death, but they always involve the whys. Why them, why now, why our child? These latter questions are existential in nature and are rarely, if ever, fully answered. The former, however, are the purview of the pathologist, a physician with specialized training in solving the physical causes of death. Sometimes the answers are obvious, sometimes not. On rare occasion, they are never determined. In the case of Heath Ledger, the questions remained unanswered as of this writing.
I’m a pathologist by training. During the years between 1976 and 1981 […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
