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Warren Commission Hearings: Vol. VI - Page 106« Previous | Next »

(Testimony of Dr. T. Shires George)

Mr. Specter.
Would their alteration and condition preclude you from giving an opinion as to whether they were points of entry or points of exit?
Dr. SHIRES. They would---really.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you observe at the time you arrived at the hospital as to the condition of his wrist, if anything?
Dr. SHIRES. At that point his wrist was being prepared for surgery, and although I did not examine this in detail, since I was concerned with the thigh wound, there appeared to be. a through and through wound of the wrist which looked like a missile wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Were you able to formulate any opinion as to the point of entry or the point of exit?
Dr. SHIRES. No; since I didn't examine it in detail; no, not really.
Mr. Specter.
And what did you observe as to the wound on the thigh ?

Dr. SHIRES. The wound on the thigh was a peculiar one. There was a 1 cm. punctate missile wound over the junction of the middle and lower third of the leg and the medial aspect of the, thigh. The peculiarity came in that the X-rays of the left leg showed only a very small 1 mm. bullet fragment imbedded in the femur of' the left leg. Upon exploration of this wound, the other peculiarity was that there was very little soft tissue damage, less than one would expect from an entrance wound of a centimeter in diameter, which was seen on the skin. So, it appeared, therefore, that the skin wound was either a tangential wound or that a larger .fragment had penetrated or stopped in the skin and had subsequently fallen out of the entrance wound.
Mr. SPECTER. What size fragment was there in the Governor's leg at that time?
Dr. SHIRES. We recovered none. The small one that was seen was on X-ray and it was still in the femur and being that small, with no tissue damage after the debridement, it was thought inadvisable to remove this small fragment.
Mr. Specter.
Is that fragment in the bone itself at the present time?
Dr. SHIRES. Yes.
Mr. Specter.
What would your best estimate be as to the size of that fragment?
Dr. SHIRES. One millimeter in diameter---one to two.

Mr. SPECTER. Would you have any estimate as to how much that might weigh in grains?
Dr. SHIRES. In grains---a fraction of a grain, maybe, a tenth of a grain---very small.
Mr. Specter.
A tenth of one grain?
Dr. SHIRES. Yes.

Mr. SPECTER. What size bullet would it take to create the punctate hole which you described in the thigh?
Dr. SHIRES. This would depend entirely on the angle and the speed and weight of the bullet. For example, a small missile on a tangent may create a surprisingly large defect. A large bullet with fast or a relatively slow velocity will create the same defect.
Mr. Specter.
What operative procedures did you employ?

Dr. SHIRES. Progressive debridement from skin, fat, fascia, muscle, irrigation, and through and through enclosure with stainless steel alloy wire and removable sutures.
Mr. SPECTER. Does that complete a general description of what you did to Governor Connally?
Dr. SHIRES. In the operating room, yes.
Mr. Specter.
Approximately what time did that operation start?
Dr. SHIRES. Approximately 1 o'clock.
Mr. Specter.
The operation that you were concerned with?

Dr. SHIRES. Oh, the operation that I was concerned with must have started at 3:30 or 4 o'clock, I guess it was.
Mr. Specter.
And about what time did it end?
Dr. SHIRES. My portion of it---about 20 minutes later.
Mr. Specter.
And who, if anyone, assisted you in that portion of the operation?

Dr. SHIRES. Doctors Robert McClelland, Charles Baxter, and Ralph Don Patman.
Mr. Specter.
Dr. Shires, I am showing you a document identified heretofore
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