Booth autopsy

[Houmes]

The body starts to bloat and turn quite dark, making it difficult at times to not only ID, but also initially detect injuries like a bullet wound. No wonder Dr May didn't recognize him at first.

Thank you again Blaine for your opinion. I think it's safe to say then that with only a cursory inspection of a quickly decaying corspe and the conflicting reports, the only thing that is left of any evidentiary value are the removed sections of vertebrae themselves.

One more question and I promise I'll go away. Do you concur that the photo of the vertebrae is a posterior view?

There's no doubt that it's a posterior view. The appendage at the bottom of the picture is the posterior process of the 5th vertebra, sticking out at you. The ends of the posterior processes (each process is shaped somewhat like a fin) are the "bumps" you feel when you run a hand down the middle of your neck and back. Most of the cervical (neck) vertebrae have bifid ends, meaning you can see the bone has two little tails on the end. You're looking right into the back side of Booth's spinal canal at the level of the 4th vertebra.