Ted Hoffman

This issue if blood flowing with water when the rib is punctured being an indication of death by a heart rupture, how conclusive is it?

I am talking about Jesus here - any pathologists around?

[ May 11, 2002: Message edited by: IntenSity ]</p>

doc58

I am a physician but not a pathologist. However I have always thought the blood water argument for cardiac rupture was weak.
If there was a pericaridal effusion(fluid around the heart) that was poked by an incredibly accurate spear thrust, I guess the fluid could look watery but it would not actually be pure water. If the heart had ruptured and there was a pericardial tamponade, i.e. the heart could no longer pump because of the pressure from the blood in the pericardium, then the fluid from that surgically accurate spear thrust would be very bloody.
The first thing I would think is that a crucified person would develop pulmonary edema or fluid on the lungs and that the spear thrust punctured the pleura or lung lining and drained the effusion.

People don't realize how unlikely it is that a soldier would stab a spear into the persons side and only hit the pericardium and not the heart or other blood vessels. In addition, he will puncture the lung.

So to sum up, the biblical account does not support an argument that Jesus had a ruptured heart.