The only debate between the doctors is whether she has a small amount of isolated living tissue in her cerebral cortex or whether she has no living tissue in her cerebral cortex.Clear enough???
Clear, but untrue. Drs. Hammasfher, Webber and Maxfield disagree. Other doctors were also ready to offer sworn testimony that Terri was not in PVS, but were refused.
None of the doctors claim she has no living tissue in her cerebral cortex. Dr. Cranford claimed that she had no living neurons in her cortex. On cross-examination, he admitted there might be pockets of viable neurons as "a remote possibility", but even he does not describe them as "isolated". Dr. Greer might agree, but if he does, he didn't say so.
Here is the exchange with Dr. Bambakidis on this issue:
8 Q. Now, is there any brain matter left in
9 Terri Schiavo's cerebral --
10 A. Oh, there is. Yes.
11 Q. -- cerebral hemispheres?
12 A. Yes, there is.
13 Q. And, in your opinion, would any of that
14 tissue be glial cells?
15 A. Yes.
That is all. Michael Schiavo's lawyer creates the impression that Dr. Bambakidis is confirming Dr. Cranford's claim that all of the neurons in Terri's cortex were replaced by glial cells, but that is a false impression. What Dr. Bambakidis actually said is trivial, *everyone* has glial cells in his cortex.
Dr. Bambakidis does say that Terri is in PVS, but the court has made a stronger claim, and claims it to be unanimous medical opinion, on the testimony of one doctor.
And they did not go by "the testimony of one doctor."
It was the diagnosis of every Dr who has actually seen Terri over the last 14 years, except for the 2 her parents hired.