A medical officer pronounced him dead, pulled a sheet over his face, and gave orders for his body to be taken to the morgue.
But when the attendant came back nine minutes later he thought he detected chest movement, and although his vital signs were still negative he convinced the medical officer to give him a shot of adrenaline into the heart muscle.
Ritchie's story was the first contact Raymond Moody had with NDEs, during his post-graduate studies and residency in Psychiatry at the University of Virginia.
In the opening part of his account, Dr. Ritchie describes an out-of-body experience, including numerous details regarding buildings, places, events, etc., which can be reasonably verified by third parties.
Researchers Robert and Suzanne Mays have conducted a thorough investigation of these details contained in Dr. Ritchie's account in order to verify the possible validity of the perceptions described.