Warren Commission (06 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (06 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Dr. SHAW. The wound of entrance is almost invariably the smaller
wound, since it perforates the skin and makes a wound approximately or
slightly larger than the missile. The wound of exit, especially if it
has shattered any bony material in the body, will be the larger of the
wounds.
Mr. SPECTER. What experience, Doctor, have you had, if any, in
evaluating gunshot wounds?
Dr. SHAW. I have had considerable experience with gunshot wounds and
wounds due to missiles because of my war experience. This experience
was not only during the almost 2 years in England, but during the time
that I was head of the Thoracic Center in Paris, France, for a period
of approximately a year.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you be able to give an approximation of the total
number of bullet wounds you have had occasion to observe and treat?
Dr. SHAW. Considering the war experience and the addition of wounds
seen in civilian practice, it probably would number well over a
thousand, since we had over 900 admissions to the hospital in Paris.
Mr. SPECTER. What was the line of trajectory, Dr. Shaw, between the
point in the back of the Governor and the point in the front of the
Governor, where the bullet wounds were observed?
Dr. SHAW. Considering the wound of entrance and the wound of exit, the
trajectory of the bullet was obliquely downward, considering the fact
that the Governor was in a sitting position at the time of wounding.
Mr. SPECTER. As an illustrative guide here, Dr. Shaw----
Dr. SHAW. May I add one sentence there?
Mr. SPECTER. Please do.
Dr. SHAW. The bullet, in passing through the Governor's chest wall
struck the fifth rib at its midpoint and roughly followed the slanting
direction of the fifth rib, shattering approximately 10 cm. of the rib.
The intercostal muscle bundle above the fifth rib and below the fifth
rib were surprisingly spared from injury by the shattering of the rib,
which again establishes the trajectory of the bullet.
Mr. SPECTER. Would the shattering of the rib have had any effect in
deflecting the path of the bullet from a straight line?
Dr. SHAW. It could have, except that in the case of this injury, the
rib was obviously struck so that not too dense cancellus portion of the
rib in this position was carried away by the bullet and probably there
was very little in the way of deflection.
Mr. SPECTER. At this time, Dr. Shaw, I would like to call your
attention to an exhibit which we have already had marked as Dr.
Gregory's Exhibit No. 1, because we have used this in the course of his
deposition earlier today and this is a body diagram, and I ask you,
first of all, looking at Diagram No. 1, to comment as to whether the
point of entry marked on the right shoulder of Governor Connally is
accurate?
Dr. SHAW. Yes. The point of entry as marked on this exhibit I consider
to be quite accurate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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