Dr. G Medical Examiner: The Case of the Black Esophagus

Episode Title : Secret Lives

Jennifer Vasconcelos, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 23, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Forget CSI Miami, move over Dr Baden. Dr Jan Garavaglia is taking over the autopsy show scene. Anyone who likes a good mystery will find themselves taken in by this show. Odd deaths, unexpected surprises and bizarre stories. Ready to unravel all the the clues Dr G is very through and her years of experience as Orange County Florida's Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, help her sort through the clues and determine what caused the death of the person on her table. Her Cases range from the very young (a baby dies of a rare disease) to the very old (Eighty year old woman dies post hip surgery) Each case offers up challenges and surprises - mysteries to which Dr G must gather all of the data to solve.

One of the most interesting cases I have seen on the show is that of a thirty-nine year old woman - found dead on her kitchen floor by her grandmother. The Grandmother tells Dr G that the woman did not drink or use drugs, but the lab results tell a different story. Dr G finds Cocaine and alcohol present in her system. At first glance it appears that her liver, which is in really poor shape, is the cause of her sudden death.

Dr G gets stumped when an intern discovers that the woman's esophagus is entirely black - indicating necrosis(tissue death). This occurs so rarely that that Dr G must call on one of her colleagues to help her figure out the cause. It is narrowed down to one common denominator - Alcohol abuse.

In the second case of the episode a man and woman are found dead and naked in bed. At first glance it appears to be a homicide, but as Dr G digs further she begins to suspect perhaps it's something else entirely. The position of the gunshot wounds leads her think murder-suicide instead. The man and woman were both married to other people but were involved in a steamy affair. When Dr G looks at the man's brain she finds he has a large tumor. She concludes that the tumor may have caused the man to have behavior changes that led him to take his lovers life and then his own - locking them together forever in an eternal embrace.

The thing that surprised me most about this show was that while it can be a little graphic - it is not so graphic as to be disturbing. What are more disturbing are the cases of everyday people like you and I and how someone can have a fatal condition and just suddenly drop dead. It's shocking but it is real life. The show is tasteful about what is shown so you are not looking at the contents of someone's brain or watching really gross things.

Most often Dr G is shown talking and explaining her findings, causes of certain conditions and the like. Dr G herself, despite having one of the most depressing jobs in the world, is very upbeat and pleasant often laughing and smiling - even when talking about something not so pleasant. She is excited about her work and how she is able - through her findings to help the living gain some closure. She is passionate about her ability to uncover the mystery and make a difference through her work.

I would not call this a family show and of course it probably will not appeal to everyone, however if you like CSI and reality shows then there is a good chance you will like Dr G. The show airs on Discovery Health Channel on Monday nights at 9pm EST.

Published by Jennifer Vasconcelos

Student of the game of life. View profile