Posted on 06/19/2005 6:04:50 PM PDT by wagglebee
Dr. William Hammesfahr, nominated for a Nobel Prize for his work in Medicine, has been recognized by agents for Medicare, the federal government, and others for new approaches to helping the brain injured.
Dr. Hammesfahr has been identified in helping patients with chronic brain injuries from many causes actually leave long term disability, and return to work.
Dr. Hammesfahr was identified the first physician to restore deficits caused by stroke.
Dr. Hammesfahr has released the following statement in response to the autopsy report on Terri Schindler Schiavo:
We have seen a lot on the autopsy of Terri Schindler Schiavo in recent days, that I feel needs to be addressed. To ignore these comments will allow future 'Terri Schiavo's' to die needlessly after the wishes of clinicians and family are ignored.
Considering that there were so many physicians and therapists who were willing to step forward to treat Terri Schiavo, from university based practitioners to those in private practice, it clearly shows that the mainstream medical community across the board, those involved in treating patients, knew that they could help Terri.
The record must be set straight. As we noted in the press, there was no heart attack, or evident reason for this to have happened (and certainly not of Terri's making).
Unlike the constant drumbeat from the husband, his attorneys, and his doctors, the brain tissue was not dissolved, with a head of just spinal fluid. In fact, large areas were "relatively preserved."
The purpose of the therapies offered by so many, from major universities, brain injury centers, and from private practice physicians, is to improve and restore quality of life, and function, which the mainstream medical community clearly tried to get to her.
I have had a chance to look at Dr. Nelson's analysis of the brain tissue, and essentially, as a clinician, these are my thoughts.
The autopsy results confirmed my opinion and Dr. Maxfield's opinions, that the frontal areas of the brains, the areas that deal with awareness and cognition were relatively intact. To use Dr. Nelson's words, "relatively preserved." In fact, the relay areas from the frontal and front temporal regions of the brain, to the spinal cord and the brain stem, by way of the basal ganglia, were preserved, thus the evident responses which she was able to express to her family and to the clinicians seeing her or viewing her videotape. The Spect scan confirmed these areas were functional and not scar tissue, and that was apparently also confirmed on Dr. Nelson's review of the slides. Dr. Maxfield's estimates of retained brain weight were apparently accurate, although there may have been some loss of brain weight due to the last two weeks of dehydration.
Dr. Maxfield and myself both emphasized that she was a woman trapped in her body, similar to a child with cerebral palsy, and that was born out by the autopsy, showing greater injury in the motor and visual centers of the brain. Obviously, the pathologists comments that she could not see were not borne out by reality, and thus his assessment must represent sampling error. The videotapes clearly showed her seeing, and even Dr. Cranfoed, for the husband, commented to her that, when she could see the balloon, she could follow it with her eyes as per his request.
That she could not swallow was obviously not borne out by the reality that she was swallowing her saliva, about 1.5 liters per day of liquid, and the clinical swallowing tests done by Dr. Young and Dr. Carpenter. Thus, there appears to be some limitations to the clinical accuracy of an autopsy in evaluating function.
With respect to the issue of trauma, that certainly does not appear to be answered adequately. Some of the types of trauma that are suspected were not adequately evaluated in this assessment. Interestingly, both myself and at least one neurologist for the husband testified to the presence of neck injuries. The issue of a forensic evaluation for trauma, is highly specialized. Hence the wish of the family to have observers which was refused by the examiner.
Ultimately, based on the clinical evidence and the autopsy results, an aware woman was killed.
s/Dr. W. Hammesfahr
[Dr. Hammesfahr was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1999. The Nomination was for work started in 1994. In 2000, this work resulted in approval for the first patent in history granted for the treatment of neurological diseases including coma, stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, hypoxic injuries and other neurovascular disorders with medications that restore blood flow to the brain. It was extended to treat successfully disabilities including ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette's and Autism as well as behaviorally and emotionally disturbed children, seizures and severe migraines.]
Not so quick. She did not provide the Schindlers' testimony that they had seen the bone scan previously. She provided Judge Greer's claim that they had access to it previously. Once again, she is presenting the allegations as proof that the allegations are true.
That's a disgusting thing to say. I don't see that when I look at Terri's photos. I think she was a lovely lady.
Huh?
~yawn~
Your constant "we" as if you maintain some ground I do not share is more than tiresome. It's plain facts matter not a whit to you as you prefer to wallow in an emotional orgasm.
I was referring to the poster, not the pictures.
As I'm sure you know.
No, you weren't clear about that. So you were calling Future Useless Eater a ghoul? Why? Because he showed those photos of Terri? What is ghoulish about showing Terri's photos?
The post you revered to was mine.
No..I'm not saying that Terri needed glasses to correct her eye site. I'm pointing out that when people are "blind" that does not mean that they are in total darkness as myth would sometimes imply.
Some that are considered "blind" can see levels of light and darkness and can see shadows..such as a balloon passing for example. Just because one's occipital area of the brain is damaged does not mean that there is zero information getting through.
Your post does nothing to support forced euthanasia, so it will be declared false.
Ok - you lost me on that reply - what did I say that you said that you didn't say?
"They are missing the fact that that part of her brain was g-o-n-e."
Could that be a problem? Apparently to some it isn't. Why? Lord only knows.
"Your efforts are truly appreciated."
Amen...that's why she's a Peach. ;-)
"How do you connect the above with the outcome of Terri being killed?"
I don't. Never have. Others were attributing motives to MS, I was was just pointing out that the parents could be motived by the same.
"No, but it DOES MEAN that he has some form of perceptive sense that lets him know where the keyboard is."
You know the difference between cause and effect versus associated events.
"The rooster crows, the sun rises."
So what you are saying is that someone in a PVS still has the cognitive ability to know to follow the motion of something that she is not even able to see?
What was that one thing that you are referring to that was found false? Bulimia? Autopsy doesnt disprove it and autopsy doenst answer the question of why she went into cardiac arrest. The physician being sued settled so it doesnt make any difference there. once settled, its settled. The Schindlers cant sue on behalf of Terri, they cant sue on behalf of the doctor, they cant sue on behalf of the US government, they can only sue on their own rights and they dont have any basis on which to sue. Anyone can threaten to sue but unless you have "legal standing" you cant sue. The Schindlers dont have legal standing. I can threaten to sue you for being an ignorant fool and raising my blood pressure but I dont have any legal standing to do so.
"No, but it DOES MEAN that he has some form of perceptive sense that lets him know where the keyboard is."
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then.
Dont you know its Tom Cruise and all the Scientologists that are behind the conspiracy? At least that is what the wackiest say. Its them and the just unfrozen NAZI's including Himmler and Martin Borman.
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