The Chauvin Case, Part 1: George Floyd May Have Suffered From Acromegaly
This condition may have contributed to Floyd's death, not necessarily Officer Chauvin's knee [12-26-2023, typos corrected, photo added.]
Figure 1. The decedent, Mr. George Floyd. His physical size and facial features are consistent with the signs of acromegaly, a slowly-developing condition that usually—but not always—is associated with a tumor of the pituitary gland such that excessive amounts of Growth Hormone are released. His medical history is also consistent with the hypothesized diagnosis of acromegaly.
Derek Chauvin’s attorney requests a vacation of the verdict in the case of the conviction of the former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer:
https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-legal-proceedings-minnesota-minneapolis-c048e42279647ce6e28258df06028d8a
In Parts 1 and 2 of a companion set of articles, I offer two separate, but not exclusive, hypotheses that could, or should, exonerate the former officer of contributory wrongdoing in the death of Mr. George Floyd.
Please see Part 2, here:
I strongly urge you to consider, here, a compelling paper by A.A. Howsepian, M.D., Ph.D. wherein the author provides a thorough analysis strongly suggesting that George Floyd suffered from acromegaly, a condition that potentially could be explanatory in his death.1 Please see Figure 1 above.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364745473_Possible_Acromegaly_Complicating_The_Death_Of_George_Floyd
Dr. Howsepian also identifies in great detail what he considers to be seventeen deficiencies in the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s report issued by Dr. Andrew M. Baker. These include those related to the unmentioned possibility of acromegaly as a contributory factor as well as criticism independent of this hypothesis.
Dr. Baker, in his preliminary report, ruled out “traumatic asphyxia or strangulation” indicating that no physical findings supported that diagnosis. Dr. Baker reported 90% occlusion of a coronary artery and “severe multifocal arteriosclerotic heart disease.” Dr. Baker also notes the evidence of hypertensive disease and the presence of cannabinoids, amphetamines and fentanyl/metabolite. In a later, updated report, the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Mr. Floyd’s death a homicide despite reporting “No life-threatening injuries identified.”2 Dr. Baker, nonetheless finally (and perhaps implausibly) concludes in this report that George Floyd died as the result of “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.” This is a peculiarly-worded case title. Had his conclusion been that law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression complicating cardiac arrest, then I would argue that the medical examiner was making a case for homicide. The tortured use of the transitive verb, I believe, suggests a lack of conviction—even a disquiet—by the Dr. Baker in his conclusion.
Though denying that external pressures induced Dr. Baker to rule the death a homicide, it also is the case that there are documented reports of serious threats.3
Two other, independent autopsies were performed separately by forensic pathologists, Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson. Both attributed the deceased’s death to asphyxiation, according to press reports.4 Dr. Baden insinuated dismissability of the suspicion that Mr. Floyd suffered from vascular disease by stating, “I wish I had the same coronary arteries Floyd had.” Any attorney or first-year logic student will recognize the possible misdirection given that, since we do not know Dr. Baden’s status regarding his own cardiac health, his statement may be both plausible and misleading. It is difficult to reconcile Dr. Baden’s implication with Dr. Baker’s detailed comments on Mr. Floyd’s coronary vasculature.
Dr. Wilson’s report, like Dr. Baden’s, does not mention acromegaly. She disregards Mr. Floyd as “having any significant underlying medical issues.”
Neither Drs. Wilson nor Baden supplied much, as far as I know, in the way of strong quantitative or citable evidence for their conclusions. Neither testified at trial.
A teaching pulmonologist and critical care specialist, Martin Tobin, M.D. did testify at the former officer’s trial opined—a priori, that is with no metric results specific to the deceased individual’s body that I am aware of—that George Floyd’s airway was restricted by 85% as a result of 90 pounds of Officer’s Chauvin’s weight pressing on Mr. Floyd’s neck. I treat of this matter in more detail in an accompanying article posting tonight, “The Chauvin Case, Part 2: The Anatomy of the Neck Argues Against Asphyxiation.”
To be clear, Dr. Howsepian does not rule out mechanical asphyxiation as contributory or the sole or primary cause of death. He believes, however, that a possible diagnosis of acromegaly in the case of George Floyd might have possibly resulted in an initial acquittal of Derek Chauvin, the upholding of his later appeal, or in having some amelioration the social harms and deadly violence that spilled far beyond the borders of the United States.
I argue, based on Dr. Howsepian’s published examination of the details of the official autopsy report and Dr. Baker’s testimony, Dr. Tobin’s testimony, as well as the publicly-available comments of Drs. Baden and Wilson, that justice was not well served by the work or the conclusions of these experts.
Indeed, the possibility of acromegaly, as one of multiple working hypotheses, should have been—and should still be—explored as a mitigating factor given the possibility, if not likelihood, that an innocent police officer’s life has been ruined and he may be wrongly sitting in prison.
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https://www.hennepin.us/-/media/hennepinus/residents/public-safety/medical-examiner/floyd-autopsy-6-3-20.pdf
“Baker said his office received “hundreds” of calls, some harassing and threatening. Former Washington, D.C., medical examiner Dr. Roger Mitchell, who is an expert in in-custody deaths, also called Baker and was unhappy. Baker said the two talked about neck compression, and Mitchell also planned to publish a critical op-ed in The Washington Post. Baker said he considered Mitchell’s opinion and analysis before adding neck compression to his report.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-01-31/medical-examiner-on-stand-at-officers-trial-in-floyd-death
"2nd autopsy finds George Floyd died from asphyxia,” June 2, 2020, by Gabrielle Banks, Houston Chronicle, as reprinted in EMS1 by Lexipol.