Episode 1 Winners 1997

solution: PHLEBOTOMY

Click on a name to see their explanations below.

Explanations

Period 2 Honors Biology Class
Presque Isle (Maine) High School
grade: 10
explanation: We believe the process of phlebotomy was the cause of the deaths. Antimony was ruled out becasue none of the bodies had skin blemishes. Aquavit is an alcoholic beverage that was drunk by both victims and survivors. Influenza was eliminated as the cause because the Bancairn brothers and Tabot had symptoms different from those of Setterly and Thromby, who obviously had influenza. Plague is carried by rats and fleas, which are nonexistent in the cold temperatures. Therefore, it is ruled out. The bodies showed no signs of muscular atrophy, ruling out polio. None of the men had rabies symptoms so that too can be eliminated. The presence of lime juice and the absence of skin discoloration rules out scurvy. Yellow fever is carried by mosquitoes in warm climates, so it is eliminated as a cause. All five victims were bled and that is the only common factor. Therefore, phlebotomy is the cause of death.

Michelle Morris
Lincoln High School
grade: 11
explanation: The dead bodies were all pale. This would be apparent from
excessive bleeding. after the surgeon became ill and eventually died, noone was permitted to bleed themselvesw and no more deaths occured.

Jodi Antje Garrington
Brown Deer High School
grade: 12
explanation: The doctor is constantly bleeding the patients, this is fatal. The brothers, himself, the cook (who in his enthusiasm does a little extra) and presumably Tabot as well since he does not mention otherwise. Harper, who was one of the first to become sick but refused to be bled lived while others died. The surgeons mate does not have the skill to bleed, he uses other methods of treatment, and the patients make improvements. Loss of blood killed them, which is part of the reason they looked so pale, the lack of proper vitamins.

Brandy Turner
Lincoln high school
grade: 11
explanation: once the doctor started bleeding the patients the died.when the doctor started bleeding himself he too died.
after he died the assistant did not have the knowledge to bleed people so he administered medicine and noone
else died.

Sonya Lavesisha Sutphen
Gladewater High School
grade: 10
explanation: I belive there is really no one cause for the disease, but Phlebotomy is what actually caused their deaths. This caused their deaths because it did not get rid of the disease. It only made the conditions worse, leading to death.

Period 7 Human Biology Class
Presque Isle (Maine) High School
grade: other
explanation: The deaths were caused directly by the phlebotomies. Diseases such as yellow fever and plague could be ruled out because of the cold climate which does not support the presence of insects and rodents. Polio can be ruled out because there was no evidence of muscle atrophy in the men. Scurvy is eliminated because of no evidence of skin discoloration and also the fact that lime juice was plentiful. The aquavit did not cause the deaths because all the men drank it. No one had any symptoms of rabies. Antimony is ruled out because of no skin blemishes on the corpses. Since some of the crew members had influenza (which is not usually fatal), influenza is ruled out. Some men survived influenza, but the others, who were also bled, did not. The men who were bled all died shortly after the bleedings, therefore indicating phlebotomy as the cause of death.

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