Clinging to Rose: a Thorny Issue

response to critics at the JFK education forum

Allow me to address my critics regarding my earlier essay on Rose Cherami:

From Dr W. Niederhut – Harvard trained psychiatrist – favorite pastime – reminding everyone, every few days, that he is a Harvard trained psychiatrist)

As for Greg Parker’s essay on Cheramie, his quotation from DiEugenio is worthwhile, but his neuropsychiatric diagnosis is simply silly.

I am not a doctor, psychologist or social worker. I do have 15 years experience at the coal-face working to improve the lives of those living with disabilities. Anyone can count that for whatever they think it is worth. But in other jobs, I assessed medical reports of people claiming government assistance for medical conditions and on occasion, had to write reports for legal appeals where assistance was denied based on the legal criteria.

I have no doubt that my dealings with those suffering certain conditions that are more prevalent in the lower socio-economic groups surpass Dr N’s experiences with people in those groups.

In regard to the doctor’s specific complaint: According to di Eugenio’s review “At the age of 12, she was diagnosed with encephalitis. (Marcades, p. 23) Her son, Michael, believes this was responsible for many of her problems later in life. Encephalitis can cause personality changes, seizures, overall weakness, and other personality defects. She was in the hospital for one month at this time.” I believe that it is absolutely true that it affected her throughout her life – up to and including her claims and behavior after being taken to the hospital that day.

Why her son, di Eugenio, Dr. Niederhut and the charming Mr. Kalin wish to exclude those wild statements and actions from being caused by encephalitis, is rather odd. Especially since her son admitted that this condition “was responsible for many of her problems later in life.” I can only put it all down to a certain amount of cognitive dissonance so prevalent in this field.

More from Dr. Niederhut

Encephalitis is not acutely re-activated by car accidents. If visual hallucinations occur with encephalitis, it is in the context of acute inflammation and delirium.

I never said anything about VISUAL hallucinations. Nor did I say it was “re-activated” by the car accident. What I said was that it can return because of trauma or stress and cited the accident and her abandonment as being traumatic and stressful. Here is a psychiatric paper on stress induced encephalitis.

There is a mountain of work showing that encephalitis can and does return in up to 30% of cases depending on type. In some cases, it has not really gone, it has just become dormant.

Further to that, I offered the alternative explanation that her life up to that point was a perfect storm for the development of PTSD and that the accident and abandonment may have triggered flashbacks to past trauma which may have included hearing idle threats to JFK – common at the time in criminal and extremist political circles. This would tend to explain her use of an old alias, In her mind, she had returned to that time period. I note that the good Harvard trained doctor chose to ignore that possibility altogether.

Now to Mr. Kalin’s 2 cents worth.

Thanks, good to see a medical person refute cyber quack Parker’s diagnosis.

Another bogus Parker diagnosis is his finding that Oswald was an aspie, possibly a topic some day for another thread.” No need for another topic, Why not just debate me on the subject?

Poor Mr. Kalin. He thinks I was refuted, when the very evidence THEY rely on refutes them.

Once again — by her own son’s admission, most of her problems in life resulted from encephalitis. Encephalitis can and sometimes does return – and symptoms can include hallucinations just as I linked to in my original piece. Yet when writing about Rose, they all – to a man – left that out. They do not want that known or accepted. It ruins their shared fantasies.

Here is another medical site confirming it.

People with severe encephalitis usually have some change in consciousness, ranging from mild confusion to coma. They will often be disoriented and delusional with possible hallucinations, agitation, and personality changes.

You could not ask for a better description of Rose as she was found that day. Yet these jokers will continue to claim that a hospital administrator was correct that Rose was freaking out on drugs – which as I pointed out in the previous piece, is a common misdiagnosis – from doctors no less, let alone pen-pushers.

As for the Gronk’s complaint that in other writings I have suggested Oswald was on the autism spectrum…

When writing my book, I contacted the man considered the world’s leading authority on Asperger’s, Tony Attwood

In my email , I detailed all the main reasons I believed that Oswald was on the spectrum. Obviously he was not going to make a diagnosis based on that, nor was I asking for one. I was asking about the probability of it.

His reply

In regard to his further suggestions…

FRIENDSHIPS the literature suggests they tend to prefer the company of older people – George DeM, the Paines

RECOGNIZING SOCIAL CONVENTIONS – small talk and eye contact are two areas where he had major issues, in the south you would be expected to attend church, and socialize with work colleagues or at least be on cordial terms with them, swapping small talk.

BOUNDARIES: In my interview with Ruth Peters (nee Kloepfer) who had a long conversation with Oswald when she was 16, she said that she thought he was hitting on her – even though his wife, Ruth Paine and her own mother were just one room away. I believe this was more her misreading his awkwardness than anything else. She was a very attractive young lady. She also confirmed he could not look her in the eyes.

BODY LANGUAGE: he often looks awkward in photos

SENSORY SENSITIVITY: I think this was part of his marital problems with Marina – he did not like to be touched. A BIG issue with those on the spectrum.

SPECIAL INTERESTS Voluminous reading, learning languages, politics, photography

ROUTINES: Despite all of his moving around, he would always settle into a routine – and when some routines where not adhered to, it would cause a meltdown. For example as a child, yelling at his mother if dinner was not ready on time, or as an adult, abusing Marina if she forgot to put butter on the table (see testimonies of Dutz Murret and Marina among others)

Additionally, he was diagnosed at Youth House with Schizoid Personality Disorder Note that Autism Spectrum Disorders were not recognized in the US at that time.

As shown here, Spectrum Disorders are sometimes misdiagnosed as Schizoid Personality Disorder because they do have overlap.

My critics can keep coming at me with their shitty theories, deliberate misinterpretations and magical thinking. I have the facts on my side. And if ever I do not, unlike them, I will admit it.

They are simply crying that their favorite fantasies are being “disrespected”.

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