From: mst4298@zeus.tamu.edu (Mitchell S Todd)
Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.jfk
Subject: Re: Neuro-Muscular Reaction
Date: 11 Apr 92 20:08:00 GMT
Organization: Incontinental Blather, Inc
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

david@cats.ucsc.edu (David Wright) writes...

>I (David Wright) claim that the Kennedy's movement does not corrospond to the
>definition of a muscular spasm as defined by the HSCA, Lattimer, and the Clark
>Panel report. Such a definition requries:

>1) An arching of the back

>2) A violent stiffening of the limbs

	As I've explained before, you're extrapolating the exact *motions*
	of a four-legged animal to a two legged animal. The real key is
	the functional reactions. I guess I'll have to point it out again.	


>As for 1), Mitchell claims that Kennedy's back brace interferred with what
>would ordinarly be an arching of the back. However, the back brace did not
>extend to the upper vertebrae, and so it would be reasonable to suppose that
>we would see Kennedy arching this part of the upper back and neck area.
>Instead, the head pulls the body up, the body does not snap the head back.

	To begin with, JFK's clothing would make it difficult if not 
	impossible, to see the arching of his back in the Z-film, even
	without the back brace, corset, and bandages, which would
	restrict the amount of arch in JFK's back. Further, because
	the cervical vertebrae have more freedom to move than their thoractic
	and lumbar counterparts, the head would move more quickly
	than the back would. In watching the Z-fil, I find that JFK's
	body moves almost as a unit, rather than  the head moving back
	and taking the body with it.

	In any case, the body will not "snap the head back", especially
	since the muscles in the neck would recieve the pulse of excitory
	neural information before the rest of the body would.




>Also, the head goes to the left. Mitchell says that is because the gunshot was
>on the right, and hence effected the muscles to twist his head to the left.
>Does Mitchell just make this stuff up for the fun of it? I think so.

	Your ignorance of physiology is showing again, Mr Wright.

	What I said, diagramed and ready for you to misinterpet it again.

	Given:

	1	The head shot hit JFK in the right side of the brain.

	2	By all accounts, this would mean that the right side
		of the brain would be disrupted more than the left side.

	3	A violent, transitory neuro-muscular spasm can be caused
		by a sudden, violent injury, like that described in 1
		and 2, above.

	4	the human neural system is designed so that the right
		side of the brain controls the left side of the body,
		and vice versa.
	
	Therefore,

	5	the sudden downflux of neural impulses (from 3) would be more
		pronounced on the left side of the body (because of
		2 and 4), than on the right.

	6 	the stronger impulses on the left side of the body would
		cause a stronger muscular reaction on the left side of
		the body than on the right

	7 	this would cause a torque on JFK's body

	8 	since the net 'reflex' reaction is (in part) that of the back
		muscles pulling back on the body, ie, the back arch,
		this torque will result in JFK's body turning to the
		left.

	Got it?

	Now, I admit --as I already have-- that there is a good-sized
	degree of randomness in the real-word version of this. However,
	in general, this is what one could well expect in this situation. 
		
	
>The 
>the muscular neurospasm says nothing about neck muscles turning and lifting
>the body up, slamming him into the back of the car.

	I still have yet to see JFK's head 'lifting his body up' as you
	claim it does. In the last day or so, I've watched the Z-film 
	countless times, and I have yet to see it. maybe this 'lifting'
	action isn't there, or Mr Wright needs to consder JFK's
	posture when he is hit.

	And I like the description of JFK hitting the seat at some
	.8ft/sec --about mile per hour-- as 'slamming'.


>The neurospasm may not even depend on which side of the brain is hit.

	It may not, but this is dependent on, among other things,
	where the bullet hits, and where the ijuries are concentrated.


	[back to the mechanics of the N-M reaction and the leftward spin]

>It effects the back muscles, arching the spine and throwing the head back.
>This motion is not caused by muscles twisting the neck, but muscles from the
>back.

	If the neuro-muscular reaction affects the spine, then it will
	involve not only the muscles of the back, but the muscles (ie,
	all of them) in the neck itself. 


>Such a lopsided effect from
>one side of the back, that is, the back muscles and lower neck muscles pulling
>from the left, would not spin the head to the left, and have it pull the
>back into the back of the car. 

	Well, if the head actually pulled anything into the car, I'd be
	impressed. I might be also impressed if you would decide whether
	the spine was effected by just the back muscles, or the muscles
	of both the back and the lower neck. 

	

>As for 2) Mitchell says only that one of Kennedy's arms extend, and does
>not belive that limbs would stiffen, but only extend. But his arm does
>not extend. Both limbs collapse, and his body behaves like a rag doll. I 
>see no evidence

	The extension --and I have pointed out it's not a full extension--
	of the arm is clearly apparent in the Z-film. It's sort
	of a floppy yet jerky motion backwards by the right arm (the
	more obvious of the two). The limbs wont stiffen just because of 
	the human biomechanics (as opposed to the mechanical properties
	of a goat). 

	Don't expect JFK to suddenly shoot his arm out as if he were 
	either doing a "Sieg Heil!" or  imitating the Statue of Liberty. 

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