Debunking the Sharon Brain Death Story

Confirmed: PM Ariel Sharon is (at Least Clinically) Dead

Reliable sources indicate to Israel Insider that PM Ariel Sharon died at 11 am. Israeli media channels still report his condition is "very grave." Director of Hadassah Hospital Shlomo Mor-Yosef officially denies "rumors" of death and says Sharon's condition is "serious but stable."

According to Channel 10, the official death announcement is planned for Sunday, when world markets are closed, assuming that this will suffice to accommodate the travel plans of A-list world and Jewish leaders.

My neurologist source explains how this report does not make sense medically:

The hospital spokesman announced that Sharon is being kept under general anesthesia for 24 hours, as is believed to be helpful in reducing brain swelling after an intracranial bleed. A determination of brain death can't be made on someone who is under general anesthesia. So even if Sharon is in fact brain dead it would not be possible to determine that he is brain dead if he is under general anesthesia.

Of course, it is possible that there is some key fact that has not been publicly released, but the report of general anesthesia would logically need to be false in order for the brain death story to be true. This is highly unlikely.

Update (11:32 pm Israel): YNet News is now confirming our neurologists point: "Hadassah Ein Kerem director qualifies remarks, says Sharon's condition cannot be determined as long as he's anesthetized." This was published at 10:56, so again IRIS sccoped the MSM by two hours.

(1:27 am Israel): There is now proof that Sharon is not brain dead. According to Haaretz, 'Mor-Yosef said that said Sharon's pupils were responding to light, "which means the brain is functioning."' For more information, see criterion II A 1 here.

See this post for full coverage of the Sharon medical tragedy.