What is that just above JFK's hairline on the back of his head?

[Greg Doudna]

Question: what is the small triangular-shaped object about 1 inch above JFK's rear hairline in the autopsy photos?

Is it (a) shrapnel as Donald Thomas argues in Hear No Evil? Thomas has a missed shot #1 hitting the street behind the limousine and kicking up shrapnel one piece of which landed in the back of JFK's head, and that is the cause of JFK raising his arms or elbows instinctively.

Is it (b) a photographic artifact, an illusion in the photograph, i.e. nothing actual in JFK's head?

Is it (c) something else? (what?)

 

Back of head, JFK autopsy photo (above)

Exit wound with part of bullet showing. From: https://www.bevfitchett.us/gunshot-wounds/entrance-versus-exit-wounds-entrance-wounds.html . Text accompanying this illustration: "Occasionally, a bullet traveling through the body will lose so much velocity that, while it may have sufficient velocity to create an exit hole, the bullet will not exit. This may be due to the elastic nature of the skin or resistance to its exiting by either an overlying garment or an object such as a seat back or wall. In the latter case, the "exit" may show shoring of its edges. Occasionally, a bullet may be found protruding from its exit (Figure 4.25)." Illustration caption: "Figure 4.25 7.62 x 39 mm bullet projecting from exit."

Edited October 16, 2021 by Greg Doudna

[David Andrews]

Some have suggested the object is a mortuary clip, used to hold JFK's lower scalp in place over the shattered skull, while the doctor holds the front edge with thumb and forefinger.  Others say there's no such article.  Stray brain tissue has been another guess.

It could be a painted-in lower skull wound.

Edited October 16, 2021 by David Andrews

[John Butler]

15 hours ago, Greg Doudna said:

Question: what is the small triangular-shaped object about 1 inch above JFK's rear hairline in the autopsy photos?

Is it (a) shrapnel as Donald Thomas argues in Hear No Evil? Thomas has a missed shot #1 hitting the street behind the limousine and kicking up shrapnel one piece of which landed in the back of JFK's head, and that is the cause of JFK raising his arms or elbows instinctively.

Is it (b) a photographic artifact, an illusion in the photograph, i.e. nothing actual in JFK's head?

Is it (c) something else? (what?)

 

Back of head, JFK autopsy photo (above)

Exit wound with part of bullet showing. From: https://www.bevfitchett.us/gunshot-wounds/entrance-versus-exit-wounds-entrance-wounds.html . Text accompanying this illustration: "Occasionally, a bullet traveling through the body will lose so much velocity that, while it may have sufficient velocity to create an exit hole, the bullet will not exit. This may be due to the elastic nature of the skin or resistance to its exiting by either an overlying garment or an object such as a seat back or wall. In the latter case, the "exit" may show shoring of its edges. Occasionally, a bullet may be found protruding from its exit (Figure 4.25)." Illustration caption: "Figure 4.25 7.62 x 39 mm bullet projecting from exit."

I see a gaping wound in the back of President Kennedy's head.  When asked, the wife says nah, your imagining things.  Still, I see the wound as described by the Parkland doctors.  In some photos it looks like a heart shaped black patch.

[Chris Bristow]

6 hours ago, John Butler said:

I see a gaping wound in the back of President Kennedy's head.  When asked, the wife says nah, your imagining things.  Still, I see the wound as described by the Parkland doctors.  In some photos it looks like a heart shaped black patch.

I have one question. How often does she say that? Couldn't resist, sorry just kidding.

[John Butler]

3 hours ago, Chris Bristow said:

I have one question. How often does she say that? Couldn't resist, sorry just kidding.

She says more from time to time that I shouldn't repeat.

[Greg Doudna]

On 10/15/2021 at 6:54 PM, David Andrews said:

Some have suggested the object is a mortuary clip, used to hold JFK's lower scalp in place over the shattered skull, while the doctor holds the front edge with thumb and forefinger.  Others say there's no such article.  Stray brain tissue has been another guess.

It could be a painted-in lower skull wound.

I think the object's appearance on multiple photos (three distinct photos I think from different angles) can rule out that it is a photographic artifact or did not exist. The "mortuary clip" idea, something related to keeping scalp attached, does not quite make sense due to lack of known scalp needing to be attached at that position of JFK's head; also, is there a picture or photo of such a tool or clip in use by autopsists or morticians?--I cannot find any, though if one could be found and shown that looks like in the photo, that could resolve the issue. 

Stray brain tissue ... hard to say for sure but the object seems to me to look more like it is plastic or metal.

[David Andrews]

On 10/17/2021 at 7:58 AM, Greg Doudna said:

Stray brain tissue ... hard to say for sure but the object seems to me to look more like it is plastic or metal.

It has, though, that red-within-white look under the camera flash that the bloodied ear has, and that the upper skull wound (with or without quotation marks) being measured has.

To be clear: in a past thread, someone knowledgeable once said that a mortuary clip (my phrase) of this style was not to be found in an autopsist's or mortician's toolbox.  The idea that there is such an object may come from the resemblance of the anomaly to a certain kind of metal women's hair clip or style of plastic paper clip, plus the surgeon apparently holding the front of the scalp taut and closed.

If you look at the color photo of JFK's upper torso on the autopsy table - the one where you can see the skull cavity held inside the metal headrest - you can see that there's enough scalp tissue folded over that could be drawn back into position and held fast, even if some scalp damage is obliterated by dark photo retouching in the back-of-head photo.

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by David Andrews

[Greg Doudna]

On 10/17/2021 at 7:05 AM, David Andrews said:

To be clear: in a past thread, someone knowledgeable once said that a mortuary clip (my phrase) of this style was not to be found in an autopsist's or mortician's toolbox. 

That agrees with I could not find anything like that in some google searching. Also there is the question of timing of these photos--they were taken at the start of the autopsy, which would be before any morticians or restoration for purpose of open casket viewing was begun (that occurs after the autopsy)? If so then morticians' work would be irrelevant here. 

On "red within white" look comparable to the bloodied ear, I do not myself see any red in the object in the color photo. 

[Karl Hilliard]

Based on some earwitnesses describing the final shot as a pa-pow sound and the corresponding Zapruder frames showing a split second snapping forward of his head and then violently back and to the left...I would say it is possible that JFK was shot twice instantly in the head.

[David Andrews]

43 minutes ago, Greg Doudna said:

That agrees with I could not find anything like that in some google searching. Also there is the question of timing of these photos--they were taken at the start of the autopsy, which would be before any morticians or restoration for purpose of open casket viewing was begun (that occurs after the autopsy)? If so then morticians' work would be irrelevant here. 

On "red within white" look comparable to the bloodied ear, I do not myself see any red in the object in the color photo. 

Well, "dark within a white border," then.  Which gives it the "clip" appearance to some.

In the back threads, it's been posited that the head shown has been filled with some mortician's compound, and any deficiencies in the stretched scalp retouched in this photo.  The rear scalp shown is in place, unlike the folded-over scalp with bits of brain and skull shown in the color half-length autopsy photo, and the b/w rear of autopsy table photo.  So some have posited that the color photo in the first post was taken at end of autopsy, after some reconstructive work had been done.  The surgeon seems to be pinching the front of the scalp flap closed - if no reconstructive work was done before this photo, there still seems to have been trouble keeping the scalp flap in place.

I was wearing pajamas with feet at the time.  I have no expert knowledge.  I'm offering ideas presented solely in the back threads on this Forum, and that may be the best place to search (term: "back of head photo") for shared knowledge, speculation and opinion.  Sorry I can't upload comparison pictures, but you've seen them, and they're in the back threads also.

Interesting, too, is the flap of skull and scalp hanging at a 90 degree angle to the head.  It corresponds to the bloody "blob" in that area shown after Zapruder 313.  Apparently no one noticed this loose flap at Parkland.  Some say it's shown in this photo in coordination with an alteration applied to the head in Zapruder.  What's your take?

Edited October 19, 2021 by David Andrews

[Greg Doudna]

5 hours ago, David Andrews said:

Well, "dark within a white border," then.  Which gives it the "clip" appearance to some.

In the back threads, it's been posited that the head shown has been filled with some mortician's compound, and any deficiencies in the stretched scalp retouched in this photo.  The rear scalp shown is in place, unlike the folded-over scalp with bits of brain and skull shown in the color half-length autopsy photo, and the b/w rear of autopsy table photo.  So some have posited that the color photo in the first post was taken at end of autopsy, after some reconstructive work had been done.  The surgeon seems to be pinching the front of the scalp flap closed - if no reconstructive work was done before this photo, there still seems to have been trouble keeping the scalp flap in place.

I was wearing pajamas with feet at the time.  I have no expert knowledge.  I'm offering ideas presented solely in the back threads on this Forum, and that may be the best place to search (term: "back of head photo") for shared knowledge, speculation and opinion.  Sorry I can't upload comparison pictures, but you've seen them, and they're in the back threads also.

Interesting, too, is the flap of skull and scalp hanging at a 90 degree angle to the head.  It corresponds to the bloody "blob" in that area shown after Zapruder 313.  Apparently no one noticed this loose flap at Parkland.  Some say it's shown in this photo in coordination with an alteration applied to the head in Zapruder.  What's your take?

I appreciate your comments David, since no one with actual knowledge of an explanation has come forward. I have not been able to find the back threads on the Forum discussing this question to which you refer. 

It does look like a hand may be pulling on scalp to keep it closed over part of the major hole in the head, with a darkened black patch on the head to the left of the open flap being a portion of the gaping wound that the surgeon was not able to cover with scalp. It is difficult for me to see any obvious way that would be related to the object however, since there does not seem to have been blown away hole or loose scalp that low in the back of JFK's head where the object is. Is the object a remnant of some medical procedure at Parkland from the futile attempts to save his life? But I have no idea what that might be.   

[Micah Mileto]

Doug Horne and David Mantik both agree that the white spot looks like some brain matter coming out of a small hole underneith it. The HSCA said it just looked like a piece of brain matter lying on top of the hair, no mention of anything that looks like a hole.

[Greg Doudna]

8 hours ago, Micah Mileto said:

Doug Horne and David Mantik both agree that the white spot looks like some brain matter coming out of a small hole underneith it. The HSCA said it just looked like a piece of brain matter lying on top of the hair, no mention of anything that looks like a hole.

Thanks Micah. That explanation (thanks also to Dave Andrews) does seem to make the best sense among the alternatives. 

[David Andrews]

And...ya know...stray brain tissue from where?  From an undamaged back of the head?

[Tony Rose]

On 10/15/2021 at 8:12 PM, Greg Doudna said:

Question: what is the small triangular-shaped object about 1 inch above JFK's rear hairline in the autopsy photos?

Is it (a) shrapnel as Donald Thomas argues in Hear No Evil? Thomas has a missed shot #1 hitting the street behind the limousine and kicking up shrapnel one piece of which landed in the back of JFK's head, and that is the cause of JFK raising his arms or elbows instinctively.

Is it (b) a photographic artifact, an illusion in the photograph, i.e. nothing actual in JFK's head?

Is it (c) something else? (what?)

 

Back of head, JFK autopsy photo (above)

Exit wound with part of bullet showing. From: https://www.bevfitchett.us/gunshot-wounds/entrance-versus-exit-wounds-entrance-wounds.html . Text accompanying this illustration: "Occasionally, a bullet traveling through the body will lose so much velocity that, while it may have sufficient velocity to create an exit hole, the bullet will not exit. This may be due to the elastic nature of the skin or resistance to its exiting by either an overlying garment or an object such as a seat back or wall. In the latter case, the "exit" may show shoring of its edges. Occasionally, a bullet may be found protruding from its exit (Figure 4.25)." Illustration caption: "Figure 4.25 7.62 x 39 mm bullet projecting from exit."

Tips of probes used to -- well, probe -- the track of wounds?