World's oldest person dies in Los Angeles at 115

[Roon]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest known person who once quipped she had won the genetic lottery, died Friday at a nursing home. She was 115.

Baines likely suffered a heart attack but an autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death, said her longtime physician, Dr. Charles Witt.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9AL80900&show_article=1

Um,she was 115-years-old..why are the performing an autopsy?

[Bertha Venation]

1. Maybe they wish to see the condition of her organs.

Maybe they can learn something.

:shrug:

But I hope they don't turn her autopsy into a research project.

:hi:

[Roon]

4. Great point Bertha

I took it as because they wanted to find out why she died. But I concur that one that is 115-years-old needs to be studied.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Roon...

Um...maybe because they want to find out what killed her?

Autopsies are rarely done any more, and it's a shame. A lot of good information can be obtained from one.

We often think we know what killed someone, and the autopsy is a good way to confirm that.

OTOH, sometimes something else caused the death. And there's no way to find out...without the autopsy.

:hi:

[Roon]

6. True, Peg

see my post to Bertha upthread :-)

[Zomby Woof]

3. Amazing

I have always been fascinated by centenariand and supercentenarians (110+ years old). I think it's the history junkie in me. They have been witness to so much of it. To think that until today, someone alive in 1894 was still with us.

Grover Cleveland was president when she was born. That's 21 presidents, nearly half of the 43 who have been in office. She only voted for two: Kennedy in 1960, and Obama last year.

By the time she was my age (42), FDR was being elected to his second term.

Her father was born a slave, in 1863.

Her life touched 3 centuries - 19th, 20th, and 21st.

Rest in peace, Ms. Baines! You earned it, and then some.

[Iggo]

8. That's the kind of perspective I like to teach my kids to see.

Thanks.

[joeybee12]

5. If she died at home, it's the law...

...well, godspeed to her...she saw a lot in those 115 years.

[rcrush]

7. Whenever someone gets the oldest person in the world title they die mysteriously

What is it about this title that curses people to death?

[Taverner]

9. What if it actually was murder?

That's why

[Forkboy]

10. That's Former Oldest to you.

:hide: