motherengine Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 'how'd you like to see your own body and know that your dead'? a philosophy teacher of mine who loved to digress once got on the subject of whether the human head could retain awareness for a little while after being severed from the body. i tried to assure him that this was not possible (though really how could i know) but he seemed resigned to wonder. i am not sure why this idea bothered my teacher so much (was he anticipating a decapitation?) but i find the question still quite intriguing. thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishteacher73 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Assuming that essentailly the brain would only die from lack of oxygen, I would gather that it would be feasable for a human head to remain "alive" for aprox. three minutes. (The standard time of asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen). Depending on the individual though people black out due to blood rushing from the head (high-g maneuvers in jet planes for example). If blood loss was minimized, I would gather one would remain conscious for at least a minute or two befor o2 levels dropped too low for proper brain functioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queso Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 i've heard that back when the gullotine was still in service, after the heads would be severed lips would still move...like they were talking, and the eyes would blink and sometimes look around. i can't even imagine what that last minute must be like... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeleMad Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 i've heard that back when the gullotine was still in service, after the heads would be severed lips would still move...like they were talking, and the eyes would blink and sometimes look around. i can't even imagine what that last minute must be like... :) Yes, I saw this on TV on a History Channel show about the French Revolution, and have also seen it on other similar shows. I don't think the time was anywhere near 3 minutes, but rather a few seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanctus Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Yes, I think fishteacher theory is right, but he forgot to ake into account that even with no loss of blood when pain gets to high incoscience comes. And I herad the same thing as Telemad saw in TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queso Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 A few seconds it is then, approximately of course. That would definitely give enough time for a couple blinks and few words whispered silently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishteacher73 Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 A few seconds it is then, approximately of course. That would definitely give enough time for a couple blinks and few words whispered silently. Maybe mouthed words, but the vocal cords would be severed more than likely. Also I read that the guillotine was not always a swift and single chop (Esp. durring the reign of terror in France..) and they had to drop the blade multiple times in many cases to fully sever the head.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queso Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 oy i know, that's why i said silent. wow...that would not be a pretty sight, i can't believe so many people showed up to watch. do you think that's true (the fact that so many people came and watched), or just the way they portray it in the movies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrmdave Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 It was one of the best forms of entertainment the people had. I've heard about instances where a person was hanged, then resuscitated, then hanged again, for the pleasure of the crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queso Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffy Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 It was one of the best forms of entertainment the people had.Wull that was before we had reality TV, with guys falling face first into campfires on "Survivor", and people breaking bones on "Jackass"...People always need their "Bread & Circuses" Money, Money, Money, Money,Buffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishteacher73 Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 I think it was quite the spectator event. Just look at the throngs of people that show up outside the prisons when they execute someone. Just a fight will draw a crowd, so will a beheading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffy Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 I've always been sure that showing live executions on TV would draw huge Neilsens. Course without firing squads in Utah, and "Sparky" the electric chair, its not as exciting as a Guillotine, but it would still be a huge draw. See our Governator in "Running Man".... "She's a witch! May we burn her?",Buffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishteacher73 Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Just watch Fear Factor or our fascination with NASCAR (No offense, Buffy). We have a desire for carnage. The only reason I watch American Idol sometimes is to watch the horribly bad singers...And we all slow down for the car accident...We like to see our blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Mind Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Humans as a race are so morbid! I wonder if other animals get off on seeing their own beaten, cut, mangled, or killed. Probably not for two reasons. 1: It's probably fairly common in the wild and 2: They probably lack(?) the mentality to take interest and see what would happen if that were them, like we do. But in response to the thread, I think it has been medically/scientifically proven that the brain can maintain cosciousness for up to (I think) 30 seconds after being severed from the body. One of my wishes in life is to die a thousand times, each a new and unfamiliar experience,Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaelcarp Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 Two of the most disturbing pictures I've ever seen, one from Nazi Germany, and one from China (I think) - both somewhat old - were pictures of just-severed heads looking back up at the people who just severed them. Those last few seconds are unimaginable. In fact, if I try to imagine them, my heart starts pounding and I basically have to pull my mind back from it. It's just too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Mind Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 I'm sorry to hear you can't take it, but I think if you tried to view it from a scientific perspective and pictured yourself looking out of a disembodied head for the sake of trying to see it from the perspective of those who have died before you it may be a little easier. In other words, picture yourself in the same mind as the person who just died but also try to picture yourself only witnessing what's happening to that mind from a third-person perspective... Kind of confusing, I know, but it works every time for me. I call it first-person-third-person perspective :cup:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.