[R-G] Fw: David Kelly suicide doubted by UK medical specialists

[Tim Murphy]

Tuesday January 27, 2004

The Guardian (UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4844990-103683,00.html

Letters
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Our doubts about Dr Kelly's suicide

As specialist medical professionals, we do not consider the evidence
given at the Hutton inquiry has demonstrated that Dr David Kelly
committed suicide.

Dr Nicholas Hunt, the forensic pathologist at the Hutton inquiry,
concluded that Dr Kelly bled to death from a self-inflicted wound to
his left wrist. We view this as highly improbable. Arteries in the
wrist are of matchstick thickness and severing them does not lead to
life-threatening blood loss. Dr Hunt stated that the only artery that
had been cut - the ulnar artery - had been completely transected.
Complete transection causes the artery to quickly retract and close
down, and this promotes clotting of the blood.

The ambulance team reported that the quantity of blood at the scene
was minimal and surprisingly small. It is extremely difficult to lose
significant amounts of blood at a pressure below 50-60 systolic in a
subject who is compensating by vasoconstricting. To have died from
haemorrhage, Dr Kelly would have had to lose about five pints of blood
- it is unlikely that he would have lost more than a pint.

Alexander Allan, the forensic toxicologist at the inquiry, considered
the amount ingested of Co-Proxamol insufficient to have caused death.
Allan could not show that Dr Kelly had ingested the 29 tablets said to
be missing from the packets found. Only a fifth of one tablet was
found in his stomach. Although levels of Co-Proxamol in the blood were
higher than therapeutic levels, Allan conceded that the blood level of
each of the drug's two components was less than a third of what would
normally be found in a fatal overdose.

We dispute that Dr Kelly could have died from haemorrhage or from
Co-Proxamol ingestion or from both. The coroner, Nicholas Gardiner,
has spoken recently of resuming the inquest into his death. If it
re-opens, as in our opinion it should, a clear need exists to
scrutinise more closely Dr Hunt's conclusions as to the cause of
death.

David Halpin 
Specialist in trauma and orthopaedic surgery

C. Stephen Frost 
Specialist in diagnostic radiology

Searle Sennett
Specialist in anaesthesiology

rowenathursby at onetel.net.uk

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