Fatal Reaction

taking of human life.”
    “I know by comparison Danny Wohl’s death must seem terribly inconsequential,” I said apologetically.
    “No death is inconsequential,” replied Dr. Gordon with sudden fierceness. “No matter what the media would like us to believe, the circumstances of a person’s death in no way alters the meaning of their life.” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to serve up a lecture, but I’m afraid that what I’ve seen from the media since Sarrek’s arrest has sometimes made me wonder which of them is the bigger monster.
    “Now, about Mr. Wohl. As you know I was not the pathologist who visited the death scene, nor the one who actually performed the autopsy. Under normal circumstances the way it works in our office is that whichever pathologist goes to the scene also performs the postmortem exam. Unfortunately, with our resources spread so thin on account of the Sarrek deaths, one pathologist went to the scene and another actually performed the autopsy. Complicating matters is the fact that neither of the forensic pathologists who examined Mr. Wohl is permanently assigned to this office. Dr. Barrows, who took the unattended-death call and went to Mr. Wohl’s apartment, was on loan to us from the DuPage County coroner’s office. Dr. Breuner, who actually performed the autopsy, is an assistant medical examiner from Lake County in Wisconsin. Both men have subsequently returned to their own jurisdictions, though I have talked to Dr. Breuner several times on the phone.”
    “So what killed Danny?” I asked. “How did he die?”
    “I don’t know if you realize it, but what you’re asking is actually two separate questions. Before I answer let me explain some things. As a medical examiner I’m actually interested in three things: cause of death, mechanism of death, and manner of death. The cause of death is the event which sets into motion the mechanism of death.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Let me give you an example. Yesterday I performed an autopsy on a thirty-one-year-old, Caucasian male who had been shot at close range in the chest and bled to death before the paramedics could get him to the hospital. The cause of death in this case was a gunshot wound to the chest. The mechanism of death was exsanguination—he bled to death.”
    “Like Danny.”
    “Yes. Even though the two deaths—your friend’s and the man who was shot—were completely dissimilar in their cause, the mechanism was the same. While there are a huge number of possible causes of death, there are only a handful of mechanisms: respiratory arrest, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction.”
    “What’s the manner of death, then?”
    “The manner of death is a description of the circumstances of death. This is indicated on the death certificate by checking off a box at the bottom. The choices are: natural, homicide, suicide, accidental, and undetermined.”
    “So what was the manner of death in Danny’s case?” Instead of answering my question, Dr. Gordon reached for a file on her desk and began reading to me from it.
    “Daniel Allen Wohlinski, age thirty-two, height one hundred eighty-six centimeters, weight seventy-six kilos. Found in his apartment by the building engineer. The victim had obviously been dead for some time; rigor was already beginning to pass off in the upper extremities so he was pronounced dead at the scene, which, if the photographs are any indication, was pretty grisly.
    “Physical examination of the body revealed several indications consistent with AIDS. Kaposi’s sarcoma lesions on the upper thighs, evidence of thrush in the victim’s mouth, and some slight lymphatic abnormalities. Blood-alcohol levels were not taken because the technician was not able to draw an adequate sample. The same for toxicology.” Dr. Gordon turned the page. “Stomach contents were essentially zero, which is not surprising considering he vomited up almost his entire blood supply. Dr. Breuner located evidence of severe arterial erosion caused by a gastric ulcer. In other words, he had a hole in his stomach big enough to stick your finger through. Unfortunately, it was in a place where the wall of an artery was compromised as well.”
    “Which is why he bled to death.”
    “Yes.”
    “So why aren’t you ready to check the box at the bottom of the form that says ‘natural’ and be done with it?” I asked, knowing that if the circumstances of Danny’s death were as clear-cut as that we