Maybe a bit of peer review would be in order for quacks like Mantik and Chesser. They would be destroyed if they took this junk science to an impartial scientific panel, government committee (with resources to evaluate their claims) or media giants like "The New York Times".
I’m going to hammer you for a long time to come for making the sleazy, absurd claim that Dr. David Mantik and Dr. Michael Chesser are “quacks.” It just goes to show how far you will go to distort and mislead, rather than seriously consider hard scientific evidence that destroys your position on the JFK case.
Let’s start with Dr. Mantik’s qualifications and with those who have endorsed his research on the autopsy photos and x-rays.
Dr. Mantik received his doctorate in physics from the University of Wisconsin. He then accepted a position as a professor of physics at the University of Michigan, after which he was accepted for medical school at the same institution. After an internship and residency in radiation oncology at the LAC/USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, he joined the faculty at Loma Linda University, where he held a fellowship from the American Cancer Society and served as a professor of radiation medicine. Among his other credits are fellowships in physics at the University of Illinois and in biophysics at Stanford University, and a position as a professor of radiation oncology at the University of Pittsburgh.
I’m sure most of us know about the website WebMD. Here’s what WebMD says about Dr. Mantik:
Dr. Mantik graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1976. He works in Green Bay, WI and 4 other locations and specializes in Diagnostic Radiology and Radiation Oncology.
In 1993, Dr. Mantik gained permission to examine the JFK autopsy x-rays and photos at the National Archives on four separate days. Altogether he has visited the National Archives nine times over the years.
Here are some of Dr. Mantik’s peer-reviewed, published medical research articles:
“Proton Radiation for Treatment of Cancer of the Oropharynx: Early Experience at Loma Linda University Medical Center using a Concomitant Boost Technique,”
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. (
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7849955_Proton_radiation_for_treatment_of_cancer_of_the_oropharynx_Early_experience_at_Loma_Linda_University_Medical_Center_using_a_concomitant_boost_technique)
“Hyperthermia and Radiation In Vivo: Effect of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose.” (
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19188608_Hyperthermia_and_radiation_in_vivo_Effect_of_2-deoxy-D-glucose)
“Mouse Neoplasia and Immunity: Effects of Radiation, Hyperthermia, 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose, and Corynebacterium Parvum.” (
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19091709_Mouse_Neoplasia_and_Immunity_Effects_of_Radiation_Hyperthermia_2-deoxy-D-glucose_and_Corynebacterium_parvum)
For a complete listing of Dr. Mantik’s published articles on physics or radiation science, see this link:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Mantik.
As for the scientists who have been impressed with Dr. Mantik’s research on the JFK autopsy x-rays and photos, they include the following:
-- Dr. Greg Henkelmann (a radiation oncologist)
-- Dr. Arthur G. Haus (a former chief medical physicist at Kodak)
-- Dr. Robert Livingston (a former Scientific Director of the National Institute for Neurological Diseases)
-- Dr. Gary Aguilar (professor of clinical surgery at Stanford University and the University of California)
-- Dr. Cyril Wecht (a former president of the American Academy of Forensic Science with decades of experience as a board-certified forensic pathologist)
-- Dr. Ronald Siple (a former chief radiologist at Maryland General Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland)
By the way, Dr. Henkelmann says the following in his endorsement of Dr. Mantik’s book
JFK’s Head Wounds and of his new book
JFK Assassination Paradoxes:
Dr. Mantik’s optical density analysis is the single most important piece of scientific evidence in the JFK assassination. To reject alteration of the JFK skull x-rays is to reject basic physics and radiology.
As for Dr. Michael Chesser’s credentials, he is a board-certified neurologist and works as a clinical neurophysiologist in the Neurology Department at the Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. He received his medical degree from the University of Arkansas and has worked as a board-certified—and highly rated—neurologist for over 20 years. Before becoming a neurologist, Dr. Chesser worked as a primary care medical officer in the U.S. Navy, and then he worked as a morgue assistant and assisted with several autopsies while working in that position.
The medical website Top NPI says the following about Dr. Chesser:
Dr. Michael Z Chesser has a medical practice at 9601 Baptist Health Drive, Little Rock, AR. Dr. Michael Z Chesser specializes in neurology and has over 41 years of experience in the field of medicine. He is affiliated with numerous hospitals, including Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock (AR) and more. (https://www.topnpi.com/ar1942289293/dr-michael-chesser/ar-1)
Based on his qualifications, Dr. Chesser was granted permission to twice view the JFK autopsy x-rays and photos at the National Archives. The following paragraphs on his OD measurements of a pre-mortem JFK skull x-ray and the autopsy skull x-rays are from his 2015 presentation titled “A Review of the Cranial Autopsy X-Rays and Photographs”—and note his findings regarding the white patch:
This lateral skull x-ray was performed on President Kennedy in 1960, and it took me a while, but I located the original at the Presidential Library in Boston, where it was labeled as a sinus x-ray. This is shown here to show that the petrous portion of the temporal bone is the most dense, and brightest, region on a skull x-ray. The pattern of variable density throughout the skull is typical. The autopsy x-rays show an abnormally dense and homogeneous appearance in the occipital region of the skull. I viewed this original x-ray at the JFK Library in Boston on 7/23/15 and measured the optical density of various areas of the film, for comparison with the autopsy x-rays. The pituitary gland sits in the sella turcica — and the sella turcica appears relatively enlarged compared with the overall skull dimensions on this skull x-ray.
These OD readings were taken with an X-Rite 341 portable optical densitometer. Calibration was performed. This shows that the most dense part of the skull is easily the petrous (latin “petrosus” – stone hard) portion of the temporal bone. This also shows that the optical densitometer can demonstrate differences in density which aren’t apparent to the human eye.
The optical density measurement is a logarithmic value, as shown, with a density of 1 for 10% of the light transmitted through the film, and a density of 2 is equivalent to 1% of light transmission through the film. Optical density readings were used for quality control of x-ray film. A lower optical density measurement indicates a more dense region of the skull. . . .
On the frontal view, the AP x-ray, the particle trail is located high in this image, which is probably in the scalp and meninges. There is a lot going on in this image, with multiple skull fractures, and much of the skull missing over the right frontal, parietal, occipital regions. The orbital rim is fractured on both sides. The vomer bone (nasal) is fractured. You can see that there is brain shadow on the left side, but you really can’t see any on the right side. The burn marks are located on the right side, lateral to the orbital wall. There is low density, or missing bone behind the nasal bones and at the lower edge of the left orbit – and I agree with Dr. Mantik that this suggests missing occipital bone, extending over to the left side. . . .
Dr. Mantik took many more optical density readings that I did, but I wanted to show that my readings agree with his – that the white patch appears much more dense than is possible. On the left lateral x-ray, the OD reading was much more dense than the petrous bone – and again, this is not possible. An optical density of .24 is equivalent to a much higher density of the skull in this region, compared with an optical density of .32, and this is not physiologic, even in the face of traumatic alteration of the skull.
This is a simulation of the left lateral skull x-ray. NARA never released an actual copy of the left lateral skull x-ray. As you see, the back part of the skull isn’t visible. I flipped the image of the right lateral x-ray, and then cut off the occipital region, to simulate the appearance of the left lateral image. I also took optical density measurements of this film, and the left posterior temporal/occipital skull was more dense than the petrous ridge. The skull at the level of the petrous ridge is almost all bone, and it is impossible to explain this finding except to consider that the evidence was altered. (https://assassinationofjfk.net/a-review-of-the-jfk-cranial-x-rays-and-photographs/)