Did Marilyn Monroe get a rib removed to appear more slender?

I seem to be on a skepticism kick. I am, it seems, slightly obsessed lately with trying to correct false statements and debunk rumors --perhaps even fight a little bit of hysteria. Of course, this is what I was strongly into in the '90s, back when I wrote the two "Scams from the Great Beyond" books. (Books I intend to put back in print, soon, I hope. But it's actually not that high on the agenda.) We'll see how long this lasts.

In the meantime, I recently heard a claim that Marilyn Monroe had two of her ribs removed in order to make herself more slender and attractive. I found this a little difficult to accept as, although I make no claims at being an expert, I've read two books on Marilyn, both collections of interesting essays, as well as the occasional magazine and newspaper article, as well as portions of her on-line FBI files. (Yes, the FBI kept files on Marilyn Monroe, particularly after and during her marriage to Arthur Miller. They make fascinating reading, particularly since they are so creepy and invasive and were done at taxpayer expense by an organization that I wish had a more admirable history.) At one point, I did a very cursory investigation into her death (somewhat superficial. I only used public, published secondary sources and not the original documents), and found this fascinating too. (And for those interested, my impression is that there was something wrong with the investigation, but it doesn't necessarily imply suicide or a murder cover up, although I don't deny these as possibilities. It seems that her two doctors had not always communicated well and one theory is that they'd accidentally between the two of them over prescribed drugs, and the authorities wished to cover it up.) She was a fascinating woman, paradoxical and intriguing in many ways. Despite this reading, I'd never heard such a thing as a story of Marilyn Monroe having her ribs removed.

Therefore I did a bit of on-line research. Although I don't consider it definitive, there are at least two strong arguments that Marilyn Monroe never had a rib removed.

First, according to an article in Vogue on stomach slimming surgical practices, plastic surgeon, John E. Sherman of Cornell Medical School, says that the surgical practice of rib removal for cosmetic reasons has never, to the best of his knowledge, ever actually been done, ever. He also says that it would be a very dangerous operation as the ribs are near the lungs.

Says the Vogue article
"As far as the won't die rumors about movie stars (Rachel Welch, Cher) having their lower ribs removed to make for a smaller waist, Sherman insists that he's never heard of such an operation actually taking place. "I'm sure, because people always bring it up, that someone's done it, somewhere," he says. "But there's never been anything published about it; no one has ever owned up to performing such a procedure, much less to having had one. To risk your life - your ribs are right there up against your lung tissue - for what would be a relatively minor change in aesthetics would be crazy." 

That seems pretty definitive.

Secondly, Marilyn Monroe's autopsy report has been released to the public. Although I've made no effort to seek out a copy of the original document, one website does claim to have published the autopsy report on-line. The autopsy report does not mention any missing ribs.

Instead, the relevant portion states the following:
"Skeletomuscular system: The clavicle, ribs, vertebrae and pelvic bones show fracture lines. All bones of the extremities are examined by palpation showing no evidence of fracture." 

Finally, and one of the reasons that Marilyn Monroe interests me is the way in which a human being was transformed, transformed both into a blonde comic sex icon, interesting since she was not a natural blonde, nor terribly happy mor reportedly able to truly enjoy sex (it was reportedly late in life that she thanked her psychiatrist for teaching her how to achieve orgasm), and as part of this has lost all privacy, both in life and in death, Marilyn Monroe's 1954 x-rays were reportedly recently put up for sale at public auction. Of course, this only shows that she'd maintained all her ribs at a point in time nine years before her death, but all the ribs do appear to be present.

In an effort to combat misinformation and lies, therefore, I share this image of Marilyn Monroe as you've never seen her before. Note how she posed with her hands on her hips. All the best, and take care. 

Peter Huston 

Note: This oriiginally appeared at http://peterhuston.blogspot.com/2012/09/did-marilyn-monroe-get-rib-removed-to.html on September 6, 2012