Birefringent Foreign Material Re-visited.

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by JR, Apr 5, 2002.

  1. JR

    JR FFJ Senior Member

    While preparing the packages we have been using on the Rachel Cooke searches, for potential evidence, a thought occurred to me on the birefringent foreign material found in JonBenét's vaginal canal. I know we have discussed what this material might be previously, but thought we might re-visit the topic. Since the topic is quite outdated, I can't recall if we discussed the following possibility.

    According to Cyril Wecht's book <u> Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?</u> this birefringent foreign material could be talcum powder. However, as I was putting pairs of gloves in the baggies, it occurred to me that perhaps this wasn't talcum powder such as babypowder or the scented powders we females tend to dust ourselves with.

    What if it was the powder used to make the gloves that come with packages of hair coloring easier to slip on. Since we are not privey to the later evidence in the case, I am not so sure we know if the birefringent foreign material was ever identified so thought I would toss this in the mix. Any comments?
     
  2. Thor

    Thor Active Member

    Hell, JR, that's as good as guess as any! Since you've actually seen the gloves to know, maybe that is what the stuff was. I remember reading that in Cyril's book and just assumed it was powder. Maybe you're right. Wish we had all the evidence since Beckner & Keenan aren't moving forward.
     
  3. Texan

    Texan FFJ Senior Member

    glove powder

    I believe an unscented talcum powder is what is used to powder exam gloves or gloves you buy by the box. During my limited experience in hair coloring I have used the plastic kind that are adhered to the hair coloring instructions but I thought they didn't have powder on them.

    That is an interesting point though - no disposable gloves are listed in the evidence. Perhaps it did come from a glove from a box of hair color and the gloves went wherever the roll of tape and any extra cord went to.

    I think when this information first came out alot of people believed it was varnish from the paint brush.
     
  4. Moab

    Moab Admin Staff Member

    Foreign bodies (suture material, keratin, hair, traumatic foreign material) lead to chronic inflammation with giant multinuclear histiocytes. Granulocytes are often present. Some of foreign bodies (silica, wood, suture material, glass) are birefringent and easily identifiable using polarized light.

    Here is also a link to the final autopsy report and the findings:

    http://www.cnn.com/US/9703/ramsey.case/final.autopsy.html


    Where it says:

    Vaginal Mucosa: All of the sections contain vascular
    congestion and focal interstitial chronic inflammation. The
    smallest piece of tissue, from the 7:00 position of the
    vaginal wall/hymen, contains epithelial erosion with
    underlying capillary congestion. A small number of red
    blood cells is present on the eroded surface, as is
    birefringent foreign material. Acute inflammatory infiltrate
    is not seen.

    Don’t miss the forward link at the bottom of the first page.
     
  5. imon128

    imon128 Banned

    I looked this up in Merriam Webster online and here's the daffynition.

    Main Entry: bi·re·frin·gence
    Pronunciation: "bI-ri-'frin-j&n(t)s
    Function: noun
    Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary
    Date: 1898
    : the refraction of light in an anisotropic material (as calcite) in two slightly different directions to form two rays
    - bi·re·frin·gent /-j&nt/ adjective


    I think what the coroner found in there was some shiny piece of something. Pretty hi fi talk there, imon. hehe. Seriously, talc would be shiny and so would a sliver of varnish. But then, so would some certain Christmas decorations. Or something fallen off a piece of cheap jewelry. So many things it could have been.

    And how it got there, also, could have more than one carrier. That could include JB scratching herself, or secondary transfer from the perp. Maybe even done on December 23rd, and not having had time to work its way out.

    Talcum powder could be a source and it's possible that JB powdered herself down there as part of her personal grooming habits, per Patsy's direction. OR the perp may have powdered JB in that area.

    I don't have my copy of PMPT right now, but at the bottom of the page where the word birefringent appears, in a footnote, the author describes birefringent and the definition even includes such things as cotton. Wish I could post that footnote...maybe somebody else has it and would be kind enough??? (hint, hint)

    I believe that it does NOT have to be varnish from a paintbrush, but I certainly don't rule it out, either.

    There's just not enough known, IMO, to decide for sure what it was.
     
  6. fly

    fly Member

    cellulose

    Given that there apparently was a bit of cellulose found in her, and given that cellulose (wood) is birefringent, odds are the birefringent material noted in the autopsy was the bit of cellulose.
     
  7. JR

    JR FFJ Senior Member

    Fly

    I could be wrong, but I was under the impression both were found (cellulose as well as the birefringent foreign material.)
     
  8. Texan

    Texan FFJ Senior Member

    cellulose?

    Where does it say cellulose was found? I didn't see that part.
     
  9. imon128

    imon128 Banned

    doggone

    I wish I had my copy of PMPT. The word cellulose appears in the footnote of that, I believe. I don't think it was Wecht's book, but always stand to have egg on my face, teehee. The term cellulose appeared with birefringent. Yes, it did say it could be even cotton. Sounds as if I need to round up my book to look at the footnote again. It's in the part where there is talk about the coroner doing the autopsy and finding said material.

    Wasn't there also cotton listed on the list of items taken by authorities? Not that I believe it was cotton...just looking at all avenues.
     
  10. fly

    fly Member

    materials

    JR - I don't think I've ever seen any mention of two different substances (i.e., the birefringent material and the cellulose) at the same time, but it is certainly possible that I've either forgotten or simply missed it.

    imon128 - I don't think the search warrants listed any "cotton" in any form. However, the newspaper article that came out concerning Smit's evidence indicated that there were light tan cotton fibers found - on JBR's body, I think.
     
  11. JR

    JR FFJ Senior Member

    Birefringent Foreign Material

    Fly, I am basing my observation regarding the wood sliver and birefringent foreign material being separate pieces of evidence on the following information. I will have to keep looking for the refrence to the wood sliver.

    <u>Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey?</u> by Cyril Wecht, M.D.

    Next, "A small number of red blood cells is present on the eroded surface..." Another essential observation and clue about what had happened. At the seven o'clock location Meyer had found red blood cells - proving the area had just suffered some trauma or injury sufficient to force some of the blood cells out of the vessels that carry them through the body. The cells were the manifestation of the injury. This, then was the sexual contact that occurred just before JonBenét dies. This was "acute." It had been inflicted in the minutes before she died.

    This medical evidence was also an important clue that supported Wecht's theory of repeated abuse. The red blood cells from the new inflammation were present at the same location as the chronic inflammation. The same damaged that spot proved prior contact of a sexually abusive nature had again been inflamed the night she died. At least over several days, someone had inserted an object - probably a finger - into JonBenét's vagina to sexually molest this tiny victim. If Wecht had had access to the microscopic slides of the tissue samples from that portion of the vaginal wall, he could have estimated the age of the injuries... (P96;pp2-3)

    At the same location on the vaginal wall, Meyer also had found "...birefrigent foreign material." That phrase referred to a substance that appeared under microscope when exposed to polarized light and observed through a blue prism. Such material commonly contained silica, a component in lubricants such as talcum powder. Had a lubricated rubber glove been used by JonBenét's violator? (P97;pp1)

    <b>Wright also concluded that the "birefringent foreign material" located in the vagina was consistent with penetration by someone wearing rubber gloves.</b> (P267;pp1) Emphasis mine.

    Note Wright is Dr. Ronald Wright, director of forensic pathology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and former medical examiner for Boward County.
     
  12. fly

    fly Member

    JR

    JR - That's fine, and it might be that you are right about the unidentified birefringent material being powder from gloves. However, keep in mind that Wecht wrote his book based on the redacted autopsy. I doubt he even was aware of the bit of cellose reportedly found. (BTW - I'm pretty sure that was mentioned in PMPT.)

    Also, did Wright make his statement based on anything other than the redacted autopsy? I doubt it, but I could be wrong. If he only had access to the redacted autopsy (or even the entire written autopsy report we've now seen) he'd have no more info than we do, and would have been making a simple guess. Given that the autopsy report didn't mention the cellulose fragment, he wouldn't have even had that information to consider.
     
  13. JR

    JR FFJ Senior Member

    Fly

    The initial paragraphs here were based on the redacted autopsy. Wright's conclusion was based on the later release (July 14) of the autopsy, though there may have still been a small redacted portion at this point.

    The chapter mentioning Wright's statement starts out:

    The reaction of some experts to the <b>new details</b> of the autopsy would shock Cyril Wecht almost as much as anything he had read in the document itself. (P264;pp1) Emphasis mine.

    Note on my previous post that Wecht's discussion of the birefringent foreign material was early in the book - page 96-97.

    Wright's conclusions were much later in the book - page 267.
     
  14. fly

    fly Member

    But still without complete info

    JR - As I said, even if he'd had the unredacted autopsy, he wouldn't have had the info about the cellulose fragment -- at least not from the autopsy. Maybe he had that info from another source, or maybe not. No way to know for sure.
     
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