Why pathologists weigh the evidence

QUESTION Why do pathologists always weigh the organs of a body? PATHOLOGISTS carry out autopsies to determine cause of death, the effects or indications of disease, or sometimes to identify the dead person.

Once each organ has been examined within the body, it is removed, weighed and studied further. Sometimes they are taken individually, known as the Virchow technique; other times they are taken as a connected group, via the Rokitansky method.

The weight of organs can provide an indication of disease and prompt further examination. Lungs that weigh more than normal can indicate heart failure (lungs are congested with fluid) or bilateral (double) pneumonia. If the heart weighs more than expected, this may have become enlarged to deal with an increased work load, e.g. high blood pressure or heart valve problems.

Heavy kidneys may point to acute nephritis (kidney inflammation or infection). Light kidneys may suggest the artery feeding them was stenotic (narrowed), causing damage and possibly high blood pressure.

If the brain is heavy, it may be because it was swollen with extra water (cerebral edema). A brain that weighs less, suggests longstanding problems such as previous strokes. In a child, a light brain may be a clue to a number of congenital/developmental problems.

A heavy liver may indicate heart failure. If the heart fails to pump the blood well enough, it can gather in major organs. Dr Ian Smith, Cambridge.

QUESTION What is the story behind the Lost Dutchman Goldmine in Arizona? FURTHER to the earlier answer, in 1966 American private eye Glenn Magill led an expedition to the Superstition Mountains to find the Lost Dutchman Mine.

They found one where a seam had been worked until the gold ran out. They suspected it was the Dutchman. The story was told by Curt Gentry in his 1971 book The Killer Mountains.

Roderick Moore, Liverpool.