JFK Throat Wound: Exit or Entry?

[Bob Prudhomme]

In previous threads you have posited that the supposed bullet track from back wound to throat wound would necessarily have been blocked by vertebrae. Why is it that a bullet fragment entering the skull and passing thru the foramen magnum (which incidentally is where all those vertebrae are) can reach the larynx without apparent damage to any vertebrae?

Hi Drew

This is a very good question, and not knowing the answer to it kept me from considering the possibility of a fragment travelling from the rear of the skull to the throat. I once erroneously believed the C1 vertebra actually occupied a place partially inside the skull. The actual truth is quite surprising.

Rather than re-write the entire thing, I will post a copy of a post I made at the Ed Forum.

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Posted Yesterday, 02:30 AM
Hi Jon

Take a look at these three diagrams showing the top two cervical vertabrae, C1 and C2, positioned below the foramen magnum opening.




As seen, C1 and C2 are also referred to as the "atlas" and "axis". It is clearly demonstrated here that the base of the skull and C1 vertebra are not a tight fit but, instead, are connected across the gap between them by membranes, and there should be sufficient space between them to allow a bullet fragment to pass. How tough these membranes are, I do not know, but I imagine they would offer far less resistance than the bone of a vertebra. Of course, this is not to say the fragment didn't strike C1 a glancing blow as it made its way to JFK's trachea.