Weighing up the evidence

QUESTION Why do pathologists weigh the organs of a body?

PATHOLOGISTS carry out autopsies to determine the cause of death, the effects or indications of disease, or sometimes to identify a deceased person.

Once each organ has been examined within the body, it is removed, weighed and studied.

The weight of organs can provide an indication of disease.

Lungs that weigh more than normal can indicate heart failure (they are congested with fluid) or bilateral (double) pneumonia.

If the heart weighs more than expected, it may have become enlarged to deal with an increased workload, such as high blood pressure or valve problems.

Heavy kidneys could point to acute nephritis (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), while a brain that weighs less than normal suggests long- standing problems such as previous strokes. In a child, a light brain may be a clue to congenital or developmental problems.

A heavy liver could indicate heart failure. If the heart fails to pump the blood well enough, it can gather in the major organs.

Dr Ian Smith, Cambridge.

QUESTION What is the story behind the Lost Dutchman’s gold mine 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’s 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.