Text 10474, 44 rader
Skriven 2005-03-28 10:27:00 av VERN HUMPHREY (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av EARL CROASMUN
Ärende: Bo Gritz
================
EC>-> she isn't unconscious -- all the clips show her awake and
EC>-> moving around.

EC>Every credible medical expert that I have read or seen interviewed has
EC>said exactly the opposite: she lost consciousness in 1990, she has never
EC>regained consciousness since then, and given the massive atrophy of the
EC>cortex and brain stem she never will.

That's not what the video clips show -- she moves, both head and eyes
and appears to smile and try to communicate.

EC>For about twelve years, the parents apparently went along with the PVS
EC>finding.  When they chose to contest it in 2002, they were supposed to
EC>find two neurologists.  They could only find one to support their claim,
EC>so their second "expert" was a radiologist.  The other was found to be
EC>non-credible:

EC>"What is significant, however, and what undemises his creditability is
EC>that he did not present to this court any evidence other than his
EC>generalized statements as to the efficacy of his therapy on brain
EC>damaged individuals like Terry Schiavo. He testified that he has treated
EC>about 50 patients in the same or worse condition than Terry Schiavo
EC>since 1994 but he offered no names, no case studies, no videos and no
EC>tests results to support his claim that he had success in all but one of
EC>them. If his therapy is as effective as he would lead this court to
EC>believe, it is inconceivable that he would not produce clinical results
EC>of these patients he has treated. And surely the medical literature
EC>would be replete with this new, now patented, procedure. Yet, he has
EC>only published one article and that was in 1995 involving some 63
EC>patients, 60% of whom were suffering from whiplash. None of these
EC>patients were in a persistent vegetative state and all were conversant.
EC>Even he acknowledges that he is aware of no article or study that shows
EC>vasodilatation therapy to be an effective treatment for persistent
EC>vegetative state patients."

EC>Given the condition of the cortex and stem, there can be no issue as to
EC>whether she seems conscious or not at any given moment.  The parts of
EC>the brain that control conscious thought are gone.

Or not.  What we don't know about how the brain functions would fill a
library.  When behavior opposes theory, I'm inclined to go with
behavior.
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