The " dead spot" is a myth that has been around a very long time. I once asked a long-time vet friend of mine about the alleged space. He advised that the belief was false.

Here is an excerpt from a scientific ballistic wound research regarding the so-called " dead spot."

" There is a prevalent myth that a gap exists between the spine and the lungs, especially in larger game animals. God is not sloppy -- there is no empty space inside the thorax. In a living animal, the heart, lungs, esophagus, trachea and major blood vessels fully occupy the thorax. The action of the diaphragm depends on the vacuum tight connection of the lungs to the thoracic cavity walls to make the lungs expand and contract for respiration."