Useless, useless

[wsanto]

(02-21-2013 10:54 AM)william l. richter Wrote:  The best one is from J Dennis Robinson, The 'New' Dying words of JWB," in As I Please, 2 (No. 5, April 20, 1998) at seacoastnh.com, believes that Booth was looking at the ring Lucy Hale supposedly had given him, when Lt. Baker raised his hands. He uttered "Lucy, Lucy," but his tongue was nearly paralyzed so the words came out as Baker thought it ought. He suggests one hold the tip of one's tongue and try it. Maybe Robinson and we are guilty of what we accused Baker of--hearing what we want. It should have happened that way, even if it did not. Booth's trouble in making himself understood is directly related to his difficulty in breathing, which led eventually to his asphyxiation. No matter what his last words were, Dr. Blaine V. Houmes, “The Last Words of John Wilkes Booth . . . Or Were They?” Surratt Courier, 32 (June 2007), 3-7, believes that Booth could talk in some fashion after being shot as his vocal cords were undamaged.

I don't believe his tongue was paralyzed to any extent. The tongue is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve which is a cranial nerve that orginates in the brain stem. Cranial nerves also innervate the "voice-box". Any difficulty Booth had talking was due to his difficulty breathing. Cervical levels 3-5 innervate the diaphragm. His injury was just low enough to allow some diaphragmatic breathing few a few hours until the swelling and inflammation slowly obliterated these levels and stopped his breathing at the end.