Posted by Gracie2 on December 31, 2001, at 12:19:38
In reply to Re: Elvis Presley's Depression, posted by TOP on December 30, 2001, at 12:00:23
Top-
My information came from a book called "Cause of Death" by Dr. Cyril Wecht, an eminent and highly respected pathologist. Although Elvis did not die in Dr. Wecht's jurisdiction, the doctors involved in Elvis' autopsy knew that their findings would cause a hailstorm of controversy and be a crushing disappointment to many of Elvis' fans.
To complicate matters, Elvis' publicist denied any drug use by the singer.
Dr. Wecht was asked to review the autopsy and toxicology reports as he was unconnected with the music business and unconcerned with the publicity
surrounding Elvis' death; in other words, his report is considered to be completely objective.There is one reason for the cause of confusion around Elvis' death: the many people who had a vested interest in keeping his "good old boy" reputation squeaky-clean. Some of these people simply loved Elvis and did not want his reputation to be tarnished. Others were concerned
about the effect his drug use would have on record sales, reptilian as that sounds.Although I do not have the actual autopsy report, I have the transcript of a televised interview
by Dr. Wecht after studying Elvis' toxicological
reports:
Q: Dr. Wecht, how did Elvis Presley die?
W: I believe that Mr. Presley died as the result of a combined drug effect. Various drugs, all of which are known to be central nervous system depressants, collectively caused his heart and lungs to be depressed. The brain controls the activities of the heart and lungs involuntarily. When the brain is depressed by multiple drugs, such as happened in this case, in my opinion, the heart and lungs will not function properly.Q: What specific drugs are we talking about?
W: There were several drugs involved here. The principal offender in this case was codeine, which is a pain reliever but is known to have a central nervous system depressant effect. Other drugs included Valium, a tranquilizer; Valmid, Placidyl, phenobarbital, and butabarbital- all sedatives. It's incredible that all of these drugs should have been given to a patient simultaneously.(Later)
Q: Did the level of codeine kill Elvis Presley?
W: The level was significant by itself...it was at a near-fatal level...most codeine deaths that we see are, as in this case, those situations in which other drugs having a depressant effect upon the brain have also been ingested togther with codeine. That can result in death.* * * * *
People do not want to believe that Elvis overdosed just as they do not want to believe that Kennedy was shot by a single killer or that Marilyn Monroe killed herself. It seems that these larger-than-life people should have some spectacular, larger-than-life reason for dieing.
But despite their talent, in the end, they were folks just like you and me.One more thing: my impression of Elvis Presley was not diminished by his manner of death. I believe, at heart, he was still a "good old country boy", and he was simply overwhelmed by his fame. The constant pressure he was under to stay young, lose weight, entertain on demand and, above all, to make money for all the people that depended on him, was his undoing. You will notice that the drugs in his system were sedatives - not cocaine, not speed, but drugs to help him calm down, to take the pressure off and keep him from being so rattled. It is best to remember him for his talent and not the way he died.
-Gracie
poster:Gracie2
thread:11539
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20011216/msgs/16068.html