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. BAXTER. During the tracheotomy, I helped with the insertion of
a right anterior chest tube, and then helped Dr. Perry complete the
tracheotomy. At that point none of us could hear a heartbeat present.
Apparently this had ceased during the tracheotomy and the chest tube
placement.
We then gave him or Dr. Perry and Dr. Clark alternated giving him
closed chest cardiac massage only until we could get a cardioscope
hooked up to tell us if there were any detectible heartbeat
electrically present, at least, and there was none, and we discussed at
that moment whether we should open the chest to attempt to revive him,
while the closed chest massage was going on, and we had an opportunity
to look at his head wound then and saw that the damage was beyond hope,
that is, in a word--literally the right side of his head had been blown
off. With this and the observation that the cerebellum was present--a
large quantity of brain was present on the cart, well--we felt that
such an additional heroic attempt was not warranted, and we did not
pronounce him dead but ceased our efforts, and awaited the priest and
last rites before we pronounced him dead.
Mr. SPECTER. Did the priest then arrive to perform the last rites?
Dr. BAXTER. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. At what time was he pronounced dead?
Dr. BAXTER. As I recall, it was 1:08, I'm not sure, it may have been
that that was Oswald.
Mr. SPECTER. But it was approximately 1 o'clock? Then, could the time
of death be fixed with any precision?
Dr. BAXTER. I don't think so--the time elapsing in all of this
resuscitation and the time the heart actually ceased, I don't think one
could be very sure of it. It was sometime between a quarter to 1 and 1
o'clock.
Mr. SPECTER. Have you now described all of the efforts which were made
to save the life of the President?
Dr. BAXTER. Only with the exception, I think, of the fluids that were
administered. He was given hydrocortisone because of his previous
medical condition. He was given no negative blood because the blood
loss was rather fierce and, I believe that's all.
Mr. SPECTER. What other doctors arrived during the course of the
treatment, in addition to those whom you have already mentioned?
Dr. BAXTER. I don't recall--I know that there were more doctors present
in the room, but their names, I'm not sure of. The reason I'm not sure
is because we had some of the same crew and a different crew on the
Governor and on Oswald, and I'm afraid that I've gotten them mixed up.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, will you describe in as much particularity as you can
the nature of the head wound?
Dr. BAXTER. The only wound that I actually saw--Dr. Clark examined this
above the manubrium of the sternum, the sternal notch. This wound was
in temporal parietal plate of bone laid outward to the side and there
was a large area, oh, I would say 6 by 8 or 10 cm. of lacerated brain
oozing from this wound, part of which was on the table and made a
rather massive blood loss mixed with it and around it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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