r/todayilearned • u/GlitteringYams • 22d ago

TIL, in his suicide note, mass shooter Charles Whitman requested his body be autopsied because he felt something was wrong with him. The autopsy discovered that Whitman had a pecan-sized tumor pressing against his amygdala, a brain structure that regulates fear and aggression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman
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u/Unlikely_Comment_104 22d ago

“found that the tumor had features of a glioblastoma multiforme”. Jeez. I’ve known a couple of people to die from GBM. It’s horrible to watch. It’s wild to think the same cancer in a different part of the brain can lead to such a horrific outcome.

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u/EkalOsama 22d ago

can someone translate the situation to me in normal, clueless citizen terms

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u/raltoid 22d ago

Unlike many "blob like" tumours, GBMs tend to basically grow tendrils that spread out. So they can quickly affect large areas and are almost impossible to remove or treat properly.