Autopsy Report

[Sean Keane 0]

Sean closed the body bag and had a medic help him put Lieutenant Snelling's body back into a drawer in the morgue. After thoroughly washing his hands he went over to a desk, making a detour past a replicator to get a mug of coffee. When Sean sat down he sighed. There was a lot of work to do and he had no idea where to start.

 

“I may as well finish the report before doing anything else...Computer, display results of external examination of Lieutenant Snelling's body prior to his arrival aboard the U.S.S. Manticore.” The computer beeped and displayed information about evidence found on the man's body. There was nothing surprising. A few Klingon hairs had been found. Under Snelling's fingernails they had found traces of skin from a Klingon. It indicated the man had tried to fight his tormentors. The clothes had been torn in many places and they also contained traces of Klingon DNA. After this preliminary examination the body had been stored in the morgue and further examination had been left for the Manticore's doctors. Sean had been the 'lucky' one to do the autopsy. The Clarendon's medical staff had done a good job with the report so far so Sean decided to just continue.

 

“Computer, continue autopsy report 74/8462 Lieutenant Adam Snelling. Lieutenant Snelling is a human male. Age, 31. Hair colour is dark brown, eye colour, brown. There is no visible old scar tissue or other distinguishing features.” Sean paused. So far this was a normal autopsy. But he hated to think of what would be coming next.

 

“Alright and now for the wounds,” he muttered then raised his voice again so that the computer would continue the recording.

 

“There are considerable external wounds, mainly contusions. They are centred around the lateral thorax at a level of the fifth, sixth and seventh rib on both sides. Extensive contusions are visible in the dorsal paravertebral region of Th XII to L III.” Again Sean paused. Whoever had tortured this man had known exactly what they were doing. These wounds were very painful and in the case of the contusions in the area of the kidneys even potentially life-threatening.

 

“Abrasions in the region of the palms, wrists, elbows, knees and shoulders suggest that the man had been lying on the ground especially since those wounds show signs of inflammation.” Sean shook his head. Actually those wounds suggested that Snelling had been unable to walk and therefore tried to drag himself around on a dirty floor. Sean sipped his coffee and allowed his thoughts to wander for a moment before going on. Then he took a deep sigh and continued. “The abrasions around the wrist and the lack of defensive wounds show that the victim was most likely tied up.

 

There are apparent wounds to his head that suggest he was hit with a blunt object.” He paused once again. These wounds had most likely caused his death but it would become more apparent once Sean got around to recording the results of the internal examination.

 

“Internal examination: Upon opening the chest cavity it became obvious that the fourth, fifth and sixth rib on the right side and the fourth and fifth rib on the left side were broken. The fifth left rib penetrated the pleura and left lung which led to its collapse. However, there are no signs of a tension pneumothorax.” Poor guy. In addition to the pain he must have had quite some trouble breathing. While a collapsed lung was not life threatening unless the air wouldn't have a way out of the chest cavity, it certainly made for quite some discomfort.

 

“No abnormal findings in the heart or aorta. The abdomen shows signs of considerable bleeding especially in the region of the kidneys. Both kidneys have abnormal external appearance due to the injuries sustained. Still, the extend of the injuries does not suggest Lieutenant Snelling died of these. The gastro-intestinal system also shows signs of bleeding, which is not extensive enough to have caused death.”

Sean took another sip of his coffee. Of course, he tried to sound as professional as possible but still this was the most difficult report he had had to make, yet. His words evoked pictures of a man lying on the ground in a filthy cell, covered in blood and probably wishing they would just kill him. Sean drew a deep breath and continued.

 

“Examination of the brain showed a considerable subdural haematoma. The external surface of the brain shows gyral flattening. There are lesions in the region of the frontal and parietal lobes as well as the brain stem due to raised intracranial pressure.” Sean paused one last time before making his final assessment. The Lieutenant had died of his head injuries. On top of the pain and trouble breathing his last hours must have been utterly miserable. Symptoms of subdural haemorrhage have a slow onset and include vomiting, headaches, dizziness and seizures. This evoked a picture Sean wished he would be able to forget as soon as possible. He ran his hands over his face and exhaled audibly.

 

“Cause of death: 1a Respiratory and cardiac arrest

1b Subdural haemorrhage

2 Blunt trauma to the head

 

Computer end report.”

 

Sean leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He wished he wouldn't have to do this again any time soon.