The Abraham Lincoln Autopsy Did Not Answer all of the Questions People Had About the Former President
The Abraham Lincoln Autopsy Left Many Unanswered Questions.
When the Abraham Lincoln autopsy was conducted, the country was not ready for the assassination of a President, and the doctors that performed the autopsy did not know what to look for or how to act.
They were only concerned with the cause of his death and did not take the time to find out more about the medical history of the president, which has caused much speculation to occur over the years.
People have looked at the autopsy results, along with other factors such as Lincoln’s behavior, in order to formulate their own opinions on health concerns Lincoln may have faced.
However, at the time, the Abraham Lincoln autopsy had one purpose, and that purpose was to take the ball out of the brain that was lodged in there.
The autopsy was only conducted on the brain, so while Lincoln’s body was unclothed in the White House on some boards the embalmers had brought with them, the body was covered in towels so they would not put the assassinated President in a position that compromised his privacy or dignity.
The skull was cut open and the brain was removed, at which point the doctors looked for the path of the ball, which proved to be relatively easy to spot.
There were some discrepancies in regards to where the ball was found, but that was likely due to the fact that the bullet had been dislodged when the brain was removed, and because of that, two different doctors had a different belief of where the bullet actually was.
There were some problems with the autopsy itself, as it needed to be rushed so the embalmers could do their job.
The embalmers were concerned about the blood in the jugular drying out before they had the chance to drain it, so they rushed the medical team, which was already nervous, into finishing the autopsy and turning over the body.
It is likely the autopsy would not have discovered any additional information even if the embalmers had not rushed the doctors as the doctors were in awe of the President and they were very nervous about performing an autopsy on such a powerful man, and thus they wanted to invade his body as little as possible.
Possible Findings
Even though the Abraham Lincoln autopsy was not thorough, there are many in the medical community today that believe if the doctors had looked, they would have found a great deal more about the President’s health problems.
It is widely believed Lincoln suffered from multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2.
Many doctors believe he likely had cancer because of the condition, and because of that cancer, he was probably near death.
It is believed Lincoln would not have finished out his term in office because of his health.
The Effect on the Doctors
The doctors who performed the Abraham Lincoln autopsy noted the autopsy had a profound effect on them.
They felt as if they were witnessing something few people have the opportunity to see.
They held the brain of Lincoln in their hands, and they saw the man up close.
To many people, Lincoln was a hero, and the doctors felt as if they were performing the autopsy of one of the greatest leaders of all time.
They were dealing with the shock of the assassination and performing the autopsy at the same time.