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. JENKINS. Well, just a minute now--I suspect that was hazy to me
that day--I'm not sure, it's still hazy. This was a very personal--on
the part of the very anguished occasion, and Mrs. Kennedy had come back
into the room and most of the people were beginning to leave because
they felt like this was such a grief stricken and private affair that
they should not be there. It was real intrusion even after they put
forth such efforts at resuscitation and I'm not sure now whether the
priests came in while I was still doing the resuscitative procedure,
respiration at least, and while Dr. Clark was still doing the other. My
memory is that we had stopped. I was still present, however, and that's
the reason I'm not clear, because I hadn't left the room and I was
still there as the rites were performed and a prayer was said.
Mr. SPECTER. Dr. Jenkins, would your observation of the wound and your
characterization of it as an exit hole be consistent with a set of
facts which I will ask you to assume for purposes of giving me your
view or opinion.
Assume, first of all, if you will, that President Kennedy had a wound
on the upper right posterior thorax just above the upper border of
the scapula, measuring 14 cm. from the tip of the right acromion
process and 14 cm. below the tip of the right mastoid process, and
that the missile was a 6.5 mm. jacketed bullet fired from a weapon
having a muzzle velocity of approximately 2,000 feet per second and
approximately 160 to 250 feet from the President, and that after
entering the President's body at the point indicated, the missile
traveled between two strap muscles and through a fascia plane without
violating the pleura cavity, and then struck the right side of the
trachea and exited through the throat, would the throat wound which
you observed be consistent with such a wound inflicted in the manner I
have just described?
Dr. JENKINS. As far as I know, it wouldn't be inconsistent with it, Mr.
Specter.
Mr. SPECTER. What has your experience been with gunshot wounds, that
is, to what extent have you had experience with such wounds?
Dr. JENKINS. Well, having been Chief of the Anesthesia Service here for
this 16 years, we have a rather large trauma emergency service, and so
I see gunshot wounds many times a week. I'm afraid I couldn't hazard
a guess at the moment as to how many we see a year, and I'm afraid
probably if I knew, I would not like to admit to this number, but I
do go further in saying that my main interest is not in the tracks of
the wounds. My main interest is what physiological changes that they
have caused to the patient that I am to anesthetize or a member of the
department is to anesthetize, what has happened to the cardiovascular
system, respiratory, and neurological, and so I am aware of the wounds
of entrance and exit only by a peripheral part of my knowledge and
activities during the time.
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