Yes, age bashing is in very poor form, however I believe comments about the state of DrS's mental health are very relevant to his testimony. As a medical professional without speaking to him directly, without seeing tests done on him or with him, I could not comment on the state of his mental health. However, it is my personal opinion formed watching him appear to have some difficulty putting the skull back together, appear to have some difficulty understanding the questions put to him as well as appear to have problems forming coherent answers to those questions, the doctor is possibly facing early stages of mental decline. Declines of this type are attributable to many causes, but decline corresponding to increased age is the most common among them. I would for example site from a University of Iowa, peer reviewed article titled; "Memory and the Aging Brain" by Steven W. Anderson, Phd and Thomas J. Grabowski, Jr. MD and I quote; "All people are at risk for dementia, with the greatest risk factor being increased age."
http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/neurology/memory/index.html
It is my personal opinion that the doctor in testifiying that duct tape was placed on the skull after the skull had undergone near total decomposition, has put fourth a theory that is so abstract and so lacking in evidence or logic, that it leaves me questioning the mental state of this professional. Given the other factors sited, his difficulty formulating coherent, relevant answers to direct questions, his apparent difficulty with manual dexterity, etc, age related dementia or a similar condition resulting in some level of decreased mental capacity should be considered. This would IMO, directly relate to the credibility or lack there of, of any testimony he may give, in spite of his extensive and honored background. This is not age bashing, but a realistic look at the relevance of his testimony and so directly relates to his credibility, which I personally found very lacking.
I can't either.
