TRAUMA ROOM ONE: REVISITED

by Russell Kent

By Russell Kent, The Assassination Chronicles Vol. 1, Issue 4; Dec '95

A companion piece to: What What Did the Parkland Doctors Really Say?

Recently the Dealey Plaza U.K. group sponsored a presentation showing the medical personnel in Trauma Room one. What follows is a report of that presentation, which tried to show three things:

1. The number of doctors attending the President
2. The order of arrival of these doctors (important for understanding what they might have seen of the throat wound before/after the tracheotomy)
3. The procedures carried out by the doctors.

I used only the published literature, so at times I took an informed guess ( I have a BSC in Physiology and spent two years doing cardiovascular research at St. Thomas' Hospital, London). Also, I couldn't place some doctors who were obviously there (and are on Brad Parker's list) as they didn't testify to the WC, have not been interviewed, or just were not specific enough about where they were or what they did.

This is, therefore, a reconstruction of 17 doctors who attended the President for more than a few minutes and their relative positions around the table. I am not suggesting that the doctors didn't move around or that the procedures were carried out simultaneously; I'm attempting a snapshot.

Drs. Listed in Trauma Room One from various sources*:

Dr. Gene Akin
Dr. Fouad Bashour
Dr. Charles Baxter
Dr. James Carrico
Dr. Kemp Clark
Dr. Charles Crenshaw
Dr. Delaney (mentioned by Jenkins)
Dr. A. H. Giesecke, Jr.
Dr. Robert Grossman
Dr. Jackie H. Hunt
Dr. M. T. Jenkins
Dr. Ronald Jones
Dr. Robert McClelland
Dr. Malcolm Perry
Dr. Paul Peters
Dr. Kenneth Salyer

* See also: Dr. Ronald Jones/Medical Evidence

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Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Appendix 8: Medical Reports from Doctors at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Tex.

This appendix (pages 516 through 537) reproduces COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 392, which includes:

* Dr. Kemp Clark's statement
* Parkland Memorial Hospital Admission Notes
* Statement concerning Resuscitative Efforts for President John F. Kennedy
* Parkland Memorial Hospital Operative Record for John Connally

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Commission Exhibit No. 392
The President arrived in the Emergency Room at exactly 12:43 p. m. in his limousine. He was in the back seat, Gov. Connally was in the front seat of the same car, Gov. Connally was brought out first and was put in room two. President was brought out next and put in room one. Dr. Clark pronounced the President dead at 1 p. m. exactly. All of the President's belongings except his watch were given to the Secret Service. His watch was given to Mr. O. P. Wright. He left the Emergency Room, the President, at about 2 p. m. in an O'Neal ambulance. He awas put in a bronze colored plastic casket after being wrapped in a blanket and was taken out of the hospital. He awas removed from the hospital. The Gov. was taken from the Emergency Room to the Operating Room.

The President's wife refused to take off her bloody gloves, clothes. She did take a towel and wipe her face. She took her wedding ring off and placed it on one of the President's fingers.

Summary
The President arrived at the Emergency Room at 12:43 P. M., the 22nd of November, 1963. He was in the back seat of his limousine. Governor Connally of Texas was also in this car. The first physician to see the President was Dr. James Carrico, a Resident in General Surgery.

Dr. Carrico noted the President to have slow, agenal respiratory efforts. He could hear a heartbeat but found no pulse or blood pressure to be present. Two external wounds, one in the lower third of the anterior neck, the other in the occipital region of the skull, were noted. Through the head wound, blood and brain were extruding. Dr. Carrico inserted a cuffed endotracheal tube. While doing so, he noted a ragged wound of the trachea immediately below the larynx.

At this time, Dr. Malcolm Perry, Attending Surgeon, Dr. Charles Baxter, Attending Surgeon, and Dr. Ronald Jones, another Resident in General Surgery, arrived. Immediately thereafter, Dr. M. T. Jenkins, Director of the Department of Anesthesia, and Doctors Giesecke and Hunt, two other Staff Anesthesiologists, arrived. The endotracheal tube had been connected to a Bennett respirator to assist the President's breathing. An Anesthesia machine was substituted for this by Dr. Jenkins. Only 100% oxygen was administered.

A cutdown was performed in the right ankle, and a polyethylene catheter inserted in the vein. An infusion of lactated Ringer's solution was begun. Blood was drawn for type and crossmatch, but unmatched type "O" RH negative blood was immediately obtained and begun. Hydrocortisone 300 mgms was added to the intravenous fluids.

Dr. Robert McClelland, Attending Surgeon, arrived to help in the President's care. Doctors Perry, Baxter, and McClelland began a tracheostomy, as considerable quantities of blood were present from the President's oral pharynx. At this time, Dr. Paul Peters, Attending Urological Surgeon, and Dr. Kemp Clark, Director of Neurological Surger, arrived. Because of the lacerated trachea, anterior chest tubes were place in both pleural spaces. Thiese were connected to sealed unerwater drainage.

Neurological examination revealed the President's pupils to be widely dialted and fixed to light. His eyes were divergent, being deviated outward; a skew deviation from the horizontal was present. Not deep tendon reflexes or spontaneous movements were found.

There was a large wound in the right occipito-parietal region, from which profuse bleeding was occurring. 1500 cc. of blood were estimated on the drapes and floor of the Emergeny Operating Room. There was considerable loss of scalp and bone tissue. Both cerebral and cerebellar tissue were extruding from the wound.

Further examination was not possible as cardiac arrest occurred at this point. Closed chest cardiac massage was begun by Dr. Clark. A pulse palpable in both the carotid and femoral arteries was obtained. Dr. Perry relieved on the cardiac massage while a cardiotachioscope was connected. Dr. Fouad Bashour, Attending Physician, arrived as this was being connected. There was electrical silence of the President's heart.

President Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1300 hours by Dr. Clark.

Kemp Clark, M. D.
Director
Service of Neurological Surgery
KC:aa

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