Minn. lawmakers want Lou Gehrig's medical records

By Steve Karnowski

Associated Press

Published: Thursday, Oct. 4 2012 2:25 p.m. MDT

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 1932 file photo, New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig takes practice swings before the start of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs in New York . A pair of Minnesota legislator are pressing legislation they hope could lead to the release of Lou Gehrig's medical records hoping to learn if the famed New York Yankees first baseman died of repetitive traumas from concussions, rather than Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), known as Lou Gehrig's disease. (AP Photo,File)

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Summary

Some Minnesota lawmakers are looking to force the release of Lou Gehrig's medical records, saying they might provide insight into whether the Yankees star died of the disease that now bears his name or from repetitive head trauma.

MINNEAPOLIS — Some Minnesota lawmakers are looking to force the release of Lou Gehrig's medical records, saying they might provide insight into whether the Yankees star died of the disease that now bears his name or from repetitive head trauma.

Their effort comes despite opposition from Mayo Clinic, which holds the records, and skepticism from experts that the records would prove anything.

Rep. Phyllis Kahn, a self-described baseball fanatic, concedes the records "probably won't show anything" but says they're worth a look.

The Minneapolis Democrat became intrigued after reading about a study in 2010 that suggested a potential link between repetitive brain trauma in athletes and ALS. She and other lawmakers want to change state law to allow release of health records of patients who have been dead more than 50 years.

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