John Lattimer
Encyclopedia
Dr. John Kingsley Lattimer (October 14, 1914, in Mount Clemens, Michigan
- May 10, 2007 in Teaneck, New Jersey
) was a urologist who did extensive research on the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations, becoming the first medical specialist not affiliated with the United States government to examine the medical evidence related to the John F. Kennedy assassination
. Dr. Lattimer studied at Columbia University
and was chairman of the urology
department at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University for 25 years. He wrote 375 papers helping to establish pediatric urology
as a field and is credited with developing a cure for renal tuberculosis
.
, Dr. Lattimer served as an army physician and treated D-Day
casualties in the field. Lattimer was attached to General Patton's Third Army and participated in Patton's drive across France
. Lattimer frequently related a story where, on the occasion of Patton's first crossing of the Rhine River, he observed Patton stop in the middle of the bridge and urinate over the side into the river. Lattimer was assigned to the prisoner's barracks at Nuremberg in the spring of 1945, where notorious inmates like Herman Göring were housed during their war crimes trial. Lattimer served as general medical officer during the Nuremberg Trials
, attending to the medical needs of the war crimes defendants. Lattimer was on hand at Nuremberg prison to view Göring's body just after Göring had committed suicide in his prison cell by biting a cyanide capsule that he had kept concealed in a jar of medicinal cream.
, which he demonstrates with examples of his deteriorating signature and photographs of Hitler clutching objects to prevent his hand from trembling. Lattimer further proposed that Hitler's discovery of his illness was a factor in postponing Germany's attack on England in late 1940 and directing his attention towards Russia.
, where he was a professor and chairman of the urology department. His patients included Katharine Hepburn
, Charles Lindbergh
, Dmitri Shostakovich
, Itzhak Perlman
and Greta Garbo
.
chose him in 1972 as the first nongovernmental expert to examine evidence taken at Kennedy's autopsy. Lattimer performed ballistic tests and other research to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald
was likely the sniper who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy
from the Texas School Book Depository
in Dallas. Lattimer frequently performed a demonstration of Oswald's shooting, firing three well-aimed shots within 8.3 seconds with a rifle identical to Oswald's and under the same firing conditions. By doing so Lattimer intended to prove that Oswald could have performed such a feat. He continued to perform this demonstration well into his late 80s. Lattimer owned Oswald's Marine shooting record which he said showed that Oswald was an excellent shot. In 1980, Dr. Lattimer wrote a book: Kennedy and Lincoln: Medical & Ballistic Comparisons of Their Assassinations in which he did an investigation of both the Lincoln and the Kennedy assassinations, and supported the findings of the Warren Commission
. In his book, Lattimer theorized that President Kennedy's arms exhibited the "Thorburn Position" with elbows extended and arms folded inward, as a neurological reaction to the bullet wound to his spine.
. His 30-room Englewood home contained an extensive collection of military paraphernalia, including "medieval armor, Revolutionary and Civil War rifles and swords, a pile of cannonballs, World War II machine guns, German Lugers, and drawings by Adolf Hitler. Lattimer collected personal items from several of the Nuremberg defendants, such as Herman Göring's underwear and his Luftwaffe ring. Lattimer was the owner of several grisly historical artifacts including one of the two cyanide capsules that Göring smuggled into his Nuremberg prison (Göring used the other capsule to commit suicide minutes before he was to be executed), a blood-stained collar that President Lincoln wore to Ford’s Theater the night he was shot, and a medically preserved section of penile tissue which Lattimer said belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
- May 10, 2007 in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
) was a urologist who did extensive research on the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations, becoming the first medical specialist not affiliated with the United States government to examine the medical evidence related to the John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. Dr. Lattimer studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and was chairman of the urology
Urology
Urology is the medical and surgical specialty that focuses on the urinary tracts of males and females, and on the reproductive system of males. Medical professionals specializing in the field of urology are called urologists and are trained to diagnose, treat, and manage patients with urological...
department at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University for 25 years. He wrote 375 papers helping to establish pediatric urology
Pediatric urology
Pediatric urology is a surgical subspecialty of medicine dealing with the disorders of children's genitourinary systems. Pediatric urologists provide care for both boys and girls ranging from birth to early adult age...
as a field and is credited with developing a cure for renal tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
US Army Doctor, World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dr. Lattimer served as an army physician and treated D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
casualties in the field. Lattimer was attached to General Patton's Third Army and participated in Patton's drive across France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Lattimer frequently related a story where, on the occasion of Patton's first crossing of the Rhine River, he observed Patton stop in the middle of the bridge and urinate over the side into the river. Lattimer was assigned to the prisoner's barracks at Nuremberg in the spring of 1945, where notorious inmates like Herman Göring were housed during their war crimes trial. Lattimer served as general medical officer during the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, attending to the medical needs of the war crimes defendants. Lattimer was on hand at Nuremberg prison to view Göring's body just after Göring had committed suicide in his prison cell by biting a cyanide capsule that he had kept concealed in a jar of medicinal cream.
Author of Biography of Nazi Leaders
In 1999, Lattimer wrote Hitler’s Fatal Sickness and Other Secrets of the Nazi Leaders based largely on this experience. In this book he theorized that Hitler exhibited the symptoms of Parkinson's DiseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, which he demonstrates with examples of his deteriorating signature and photographs of Hitler clutching objects to prevent his hand from trembling. Lattimer further proposed that Hitler's discovery of his illness was a factor in postponing Germany's attack on England in late 1940 and directing his attention towards Russia.
Professor of Urology, Columbia University
After the war, Lattimer spent 25 years at the Columbia University College of Physicians and SurgeonsColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
, where he was a professor and chairman of the urology department. His patients included Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
, Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
and Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
.
Investigator into Kennedy Assassination
The Kennedy familyKennedy family
In the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...
chose him in 1972 as the first nongovernmental expert to examine evidence taken at Kennedy's autopsy. Lattimer performed ballistic tests and other research to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
was likely the sniper who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
from the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
in Dallas. Lattimer frequently performed a demonstration of Oswald's shooting, firing three well-aimed shots within 8.3 seconds with a rifle identical to Oswald's and under the same firing conditions. By doing so Lattimer intended to prove that Oswald could have performed such a feat. He continued to perform this demonstration well into his late 80s. Lattimer owned Oswald's Marine shooting record which he said showed that Oswald was an excellent shot. In 1980, Dr. Lattimer wrote a book: Kennedy and Lincoln: Medical & Ballistic Comparisons of Their Assassinations in which he did an investigation of both the Lincoln and the Kennedy assassinations, and supported the findings of the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. In his book, Lattimer theorized that President Kennedy's arms exhibited the "Thorburn Position" with elbows extended and arms folded inward, as a neurological reaction to the bullet wound to his spine.
Collector of Military Artifacts
Lattimer resided in Englewood, New JerseyEnglewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
. His 30-room Englewood home contained an extensive collection of military paraphernalia, including "medieval armor, Revolutionary and Civil War rifles and swords, a pile of cannonballs, World War II machine guns, German Lugers, and drawings by Adolf Hitler. Lattimer collected personal items from several of the Nuremberg defendants, such as Herman Göring's underwear and his Luftwaffe ring. Lattimer was the owner of several grisly historical artifacts including one of the two cyanide capsules that Göring smuggled into his Nuremberg prison (Göring used the other capsule to commit suicide minutes before he was to be executed), a blood-stained collar that President Lincoln wore to Ford’s Theater the night he was shot, and a medically preserved section of penile tissue which Lattimer said belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte.