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washingtonpost.com wrote:The autopsy by a medical examiner in Florida, released Wednesday, showed irreversible brain damage, consistent with a persistent vegetative state.

"The diagnosis they made is exactly right. It's the pathology, I'll respect that. I think it's time to move on," [Senate Majority Leader] Frist said on CBS' "The Early Show."

CBS\AP wrote:The long-awaited report Wednesday found Schiavo's brain had shrunk to about half the normal size for a woman her age when she died March 31 after her feeding tube was disconnected. The autopsy also determined she was blind.

Bob and Mary Schindler disputed the results, insisting their daughter interacted with them and tried to speak.

"She wouldn't recognize anybody's face, wouldn't recognize anyone's voice. wouldn't respond to stimuli in anything but a reflexive way," Dr. Douglas Miller, a neuropathologist, told CBS News. "They were seeing what they wanted to see, which is common and unfortunate in situations like this. It was just not possible."

The findings vindicated Schiavo's husband in his long and vitriolic battle with his in-laws that engulfed the courts, Congress and the White House and divided the country. Michael Schiavo and court-appointed doctors have said she had no hope of recovery. She died at age 41.

[...]

The autopsy also found no evidence that Terri Schiavo was strangled or otherwise abused before her sudden 1990 collapse — countering allegations by the Schindlers that she was abused by her husband.

Yet medical examiners could not say for certain what caused the collapse, long thought to have been brought on by an eating disorder.

[...]

The autopsy included 274 external and internal body images and an exhaustive review of Schiavo's medical records, police reports and social services agency records.

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin said that the autopsy produced no conclusion on what triggered the temporary heart stoppage that caused her collapse and brain damage. He said there was no evidence of drug use, though he cautioned that Schiavo was not tested in 1990 for every conceivable substance that could have been in her blood.

He said there was no proof she suffered from an eating disorder such as bulimia, which can disrupt the body chemistry with lethal effect. The main piece of evidence cited for an eating disorder — the low levels of potassium in her blood in 1990 — could have been caused by the emergency treatment she received at the time, Thogmartin said.

While she had lost more than 100 pounds since high school, Schiavo never confessed to an eating disorder, she did not take diet pills and no one had witnessed her purging food, the medical examiner said.

He discounted the possibility that she had overdosed on caffeine from drinking large amounts of tea in an effort to keep her weight down.

In addition, the autopsy found no traces of morphine in her system at her death, although she had been given two doses in the days before she died. The Schindlers had contended that morphine might have been used to speed their daughter's death.

Chicago Tribune wrote:Terri Schiavo, whose life and death were at the heart of a dispute that turned a private tragedy into a national spectacle, was blind and brain-damaged, but she was not beaten, strangled or otherwise abused before she collapsed in 1990, according to the results of an autopsy released Wednesday.

[...]

The autopsy showed no support for any of the many allegations the Schindlers or their supporters had raised against their son-in-law. Over the years, they suggested Michael Schiavo strangled or beat his wife the day she collapsed. As evidence, they pointed to a bone scan taken a year later that showed she had suffered a fracture.

Brandon777 wrote:Actually, I heard that the autopsy showed that she didn't have an eating disorder or a heart attack.

Gibbs' Hog wrote:The autopsy showed that she did not have a heart attack. It was inconclusive as to whether she had an eating disorder or not.

Brandon777 wrote:Nothing surprising. Everyone knew she was severely brain-damaged. Her husband (which I don't understand how he could have still been considered a husband, since he was living with another woman and had kids) is a piece of garbage.

Anyways, even if the autopsy showed evidence of her being aware, I highly doubt they would say that to the public. That would be devastating.

cvillehog wrote:

Gibbs' Hog wrote:The autopsy showed that she did not have a heart attack. It was inconclusive as to whether she had an eating disorder or not.

The stories I quoted above say that the autopsy "found no evidence" of an eating disorder. I believe that means something closer to "did not have" than to "inconclusive."

Gibbs' Hog wrote:

cvillehog wrote:

Gibbs' Hog wrote:The autopsy showed that she did not have a heart attack. It was inconclusive as to whether she had an eating disorder or not.

The stories I quoted above say that the autopsy "found no evidence" of an eating disorder. I believe that means something closer to "did not have" than to "inconclusive."

It can't mean "did not have" as opposed to "inconclusive."

She had a potassium inbalance when she was first brought to the hospital. It is a common sign of an eating disorder, but it does not mean she had one.

The autopsy did not prove she had an eating disorder.
The autopsy did not prove she didn't have an eating disorder.

Medical examiners originally stipulated that an autopsy would likely not prove anything with relation to an eating disorder.

All that said, no one can prove she had an eating disorder or not. Only herself, her husband, her family, and/or her friends could know for sure. And based on all the reports, if she did have a disorder, she kept it to herself.

Since no one can prove it one way or another, it is inconclusive. That's all I was trying to say.

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin said that the autopsy produced no conclusion on what triggered the temporary heart stoppage that caused her collapse and brain damage. He said there was no evidence of drug use, though he cautioned that Schiavo was not tested in 1990 for every conceivable substance that could have been in her blood.

He said there was no proof she suffered from an eating disorder such as bulimia, which can disrupt the body chemistry with lethal effect. The main piece of evidence cited for an eating disorder — the low levels of potassium in her blood in 1990 — could have been caused by the emergency treatment she received at the time, Thogmartin said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --Gov. Jeb Bush said Friday that a prosecutor has agreed to investigate why Terri Schiavo collapsed 15 years ago, citing an alleged gap in time from when her husband found her and called 911.

cvillehog wrote:

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin said that the autopsy produced no conclusion on what triggered the temporary heart stoppage that caused her collapse and brain damage. He said there was no evidence of drug use, though he cautioned that Schiavo was not tested in 1990 for every conceivable substance that could have been in her blood.

He said there was no proof she suffered from an eating disorder such as bulimia, which can disrupt the body chemistry with lethal effect. The main piece of evidence cited for an eating disorder — the low levels of potassium in her blood in 1990 — could have been caused by the emergency treatment she received at the time, Thogmartin said.

Gibbs' Hog wrote:

cvillehog wrote:

Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin said that the autopsy produced no conclusion on what triggered the temporary heart stoppage that caused her collapse and brain damage. He said there was no evidence of drug use, though he cautioned that Schiavo was not tested in 1990 for every conceivable substance that could have been in her blood.

He said there was no proof she suffered from an eating disorder such as bulimia, which can disrupt the body chemistry with lethal effect. The main piece of evidence cited for an eating disorder — the low levels of potassium in her blood in 1990 — could have been caused by the emergency treatment she received at the time, Thogmartin said.

I see where you're coming from with the whole "no proof" thing. It just looks to me like there were a lot of "no evidence," "no conclusion," and "could have been"s which suggest to me that no one knows for sure.

If they did, the medical examiner would probably say something like, "...evidence found during the autopsy report indicates that there is no possible way Terri Shiavo could have suffered from an eating disorder."

Anyway, although he can't say for sure what caused her collapse, the doctor seems reasonably certain that an eating disorder did not play a role.

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:

Anyway, although he can't say for sure what caused her collapse, the doctor seems reasonably certain that an eating disorder did not play a role.

Actually, the whole "eating disorder" reasoning was fabricated by Mr. Schiavo when in order to present his malpractice case "for Terri". I read that in an article this morning, which I'll post in a minute.

Friday, June 17, 2005
Autopsy suggests
Schiavo cognizant
Analyst: 'It's possible Terri was aware of everything being done to her'

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

Challenging the assumptions of many analysts and news reports, an attorney who specializes in medical ethics cases points out the autopsy report of Terri Schiavo indicates the brain-injured woman might have been cognizant of her surroundings as her family insisted.

Jerri Lynn Ward of Austin, Texas, notes the report released Wednesday in the high-profile case states: "The frontal temporal and temporal poles and insular-cortex demonstrated relative preservation."

"What this tells us is that her cortex retained function and that her brain was more normal in the area that controls higher-level thinking," said Ward, who has weighed in on the case in her weblog and in an interview with "Joseph Farah's WorldNetDaily RadioActive" show.


The autopsy results on the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman were made public more than two months after her death ended a decade-long legal battle that brought in Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Congress and President Bush.

Schiavo died March 31, nearly two weeks after the feeding tube that had kept her alive was removed under a court order obtained by her husband, Michael Schiavo. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, said they were willing to care for their daughter, insisting she had a strong will to live.

Experts supporting Michael Schiavo -- contending Terri Schiavo's brain cortex essentially was missing and filled with fluid -- concluded she was in a persistent vegetative state. The Schindlers, arguing that their daughter recognized and responded to family members, produced neurologists who diagnosed her as "minimally conscious."

Pinellas-Pasco medical examiner Jon Thogmartin, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said the damage to Terri Schiavo's brain was "irreversible, and no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss of neurons."

But Ward, pointing to the autopsy report, notes the brain's frontal lobe plays a part in impulse control, judgment, language, memory, motor function, problem solving, sexual behavior, socialization and spontaneity.

"It is very possible that she remained cognizant of sounds and other things without being able to communicate," Ward said. "It's possible Terri was aware of everything being done to her -- yet could do little to make people aware that she was there."

Ward pointed out that major damage to Schiavo's brain was shown to be toward the back -- the areas that affect motor skills.

So the question remains, says Ward, was Terri Schiavo still a thinking, aware human being?

Conversely, the report found no evidence to support the theory espoused by Michael Schiavo and his attorneys for 15 years, that the collapse in February 1990 was caused by an eating disorder.

That assertion was the basis of malpractice suits in 1992 that resulted in a settlements totaling more than $1 million.

The autopsy report said no one had ever witnessed Schiavo bingeing and purging, and family members said she had a big meal the evening prior to her collapse and was not in a position to covertly purge the meal.

I admit, my earlier inference that Mr. Schiavo led her to develop an eating disorder was incorrect, as it now appears that it was not even true . However, if indeed Mr. Schiavo made it up, it calls into question his character and in fact makes him at least a little bit creepy. He was able to convince a court of law that Terri had an eating disorder. COuld he have also convinced them that she "told" him to pull the plug?

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:Not at all cville. His actions speak louder than any of my words about him ever could.

However, I brought up the article because you keep talking matter-of-factly about the prevous article/s you posted. It sounds like you believe they are the end all to the conversation, when they aren't. Just thought you might want a different view.

Challenging the assumptions of many analysts and news reports, an attorney who specializes in medical ethics cases points out the autopsy report of Terri Schiavo indicates the brain-injured woman might have been cognizant of her surroundings as her family insisted.

Jerri Lynn Ward of Austin, Texas, notes the report released Wednesday in the high-profile case states: "The frontal temporal and temporal poles and insular-cortex demonstrated relative preservation."

"What this tells us is that her cortex retained function and that her brain was more normal in the area that controls higher-level thinking," said Ward, who has weighed in on the case in her weblog and in an interview with "Joseph Farah's WorldNetDaily RadioActive" show.

cvillehog wrote:...the stories I quoted above are from respected and responsible news sorces

Oh yeah, CBS. I forgot.

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:

cvillehog wrote:...the stories I quoted above are from respected and responsible news sorces

Oh yeah, CBS. I forgot.

Also, that was a CBS/AP report. You have something against the Associate Press now?

Yes, and I think I'm the very first person to EVER have something against "the media".

BTW - You're not a journalist, are you? If so, my bad. Y'all are all professionals, in my book!

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:BTW - You're not a journalist, are you?

cvillehog wrote:

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:BTW - You're not a journalist, are you?

No. Not at this time. But cross your fingers...

Best wishes!

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:A picture of the grave marker for Mrs. Schiavo.

Michael Schiavo finding yet another way to tick people off.