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.]
Door Number Two, Monty.
What are you looking for the Nobel Peace Prize for Medicine? There isnt any such creature. He gave you the link for Nobel prizes in Medicine, where is your link showing Dr H is anything other than a quack quack?
Quackwatch was involved and testified against Doc Hammesfahr's trial in 2002. They lost.....
...that one day NewsMax and WorldNetDaily will either become legitimate news sources, or go out of business.
I have a dream that one day the kooks will leave Free Republic and set up their own forum.
And finally...
...I have a dream that one day I will sit down at my computer, and look at the forum topics, and there will be no Terri thread!
So, you think it is ethical for him to lie about a Nobel nomination?
Why does he have to be convicted of a crime to be a kook and self promoting charlatan?
Some people think that as long as a doctor isn't convicted of anything they're acceptable. Didn't you know that? LOL!
Wonder how many of them would be willing to let Dr H treat their loved ones? Very few I would bet.
Your side inferred that he was a crook. Other than remarks, I have seen nothing relavant that would lend support to your beliefs. Of course, I knew you could not.
He's STILL not a Nobel nominee - he's a liar.
"It's always interesting to me to see freepers who don't believe court testimony on oath, but believe every internet conspiracy that comes down the pike."
Peach, you couldn't have hit the "nail on the head" any harder. Most excellent observation!!
"Peach, you're BS is not supported by facts. Sorry.."
Perhaps your BS is supported by farts? LOL
What can I say, except, "well said". I'm not going to trash you. Nothing worthy and valuable ever gets tossed away in my world. :)
My personal opinion is that unless someone has made specific instructions (living will), you don't unplug people unless they are brain dead. Just common courtesy.
I need to correct that sentence. It should "because of the original injury" rather than the "original therapy". I'm really tired.
Aren't we all.
This is why they would not let another Dr. in on the autopsy. This is not grassy knoll talk. They should have let tests be done before she was killed, What would it of hurt. We would have raised the funds if money was the question.
Yes, I think so. I think I'll head for bed. I was really busy today, had a lot to do, and I'm thrashed. G'night.
Have a good night.
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