Could a Trauma Center Have Saved Lincoln?

[snopes]

Every year, the University of Maryland holds a seminar to discuss the medical history of a famous person. Next May, doctors and historians will tackle the case of the gunshot that killed President Abraham Lincoln and try to answer this question: Could he have survived such an injury today?

http://blog.wired.com/biotech/2007/0...a_trauma_.html

Name: DM/Diddy

I'd take Lincoln's 1/2 brain over Dubya's barely-functioning whole brain any day.

I love reading the comments on blogs...

[RealityChuck]

An article in American Heritage a few years ago said that, not only could Lincoln have been saved, but that he could have been saved using methods known in 1865. There would have had to be some luck involved, and Lincoln would have probably been incapacitiated (which would have been a constitutional crisis), but he could have survived for some time afterwards.

Here is a discussion.

[Singing in the Drizzle]

Everthing that I have read and seen on TV has said he could have been saved. Based on were the damge was he most likely would have been something close to a vegitable and at best would never be close to preforming his office as president. It was probably much better that he died, considering the damage and what long term care there was at the time.

Originally Posted by RealityChuck

An article in American Heritage a few years ago said that, not only could Lincoln have been saved, but that he could have been saved using methods known in 1865. There would have had to be some luck involved, and Lincoln would have probably been incapacitiated (which would have been a constitutional crisis), but he could have survived for some time afterwards.

Here is a discussion.

The link comes across as 1) he wouldn't have survived or 2) he would have been in a vegetative state and died within a few years. If the extent of the injury described in the link is correct, I doubt he would have lived, then or now.

Brain injuries are just nasty. Lose a limb and you have lost a part of your body. Lose brain tissue and you have lost a part of yourself.