Discussion
Me and a couple of mates have been discussing this for hours!
If someone has their head cut off, do they still remain concious? Although only for 30 seconds or whatever.
I say yes, the brain can function without oxygen for a couple of minutes so unless they are killed by shock I dont see why not?
Discuss
Ben
If someone has their head cut off, do they still remain concious? Although only for 30 seconds or whatever.
I say yes, the brain can function without oxygen for a couple of minutes so unless they are killed by shock I dont see why not?
Discuss
Ben
Given that there's generally about 4 minutes after the heart stops in which to get oxygen back to the brain, I'd say you're right... and there must be a pretty god-awful feeling about being in that situation.
Back when I worked for an undertakers, I recall hearing about a biker who was decapitated... a witness at the scene who moved the head off the road stated that the guy was still blinking, though whether that was an involuntary reaction I don't know.
Back when I worked for an undertakers, I recall hearing about a biker who was decapitated... a witness at the scene who moved the head off the road stated that the guy was still blinking, though whether that was an involuntary reaction I don't know.
ing matter. If I got my head cut off trying to blink would probably be the last of my worries.
ing matter. If I got my head cut off trying to blink would probably be the last of my worries.I would estimate it would take 20 minutes for the brain to shut down.
I can substantiate this....
My wife was in a mega accident in her twenties, a very long time before I met her. She had a 50 mph head on and in the process her heart stopped beating. The process of getting emergency services to her, extracting her from the wreck and restarting her heart took 20 minutes.
What saved her (she says) was people talking. She could not remember seeing anything after the crash but can remember people talking - probably Paramedics, who knew to keep the brain active.
I'm very skeptical of people saying that somebody was killed instantly, if you judged my wife's accident by her pulse then that would have been the case, but the reality is that her heart just stopped.
I'd imagine most people decapitated are conscious of what is going on but only in thought and hearing inputs for those 20 minutes.
I can substantiate this....
My wife was in a mega accident in her twenties, a very long time before I met her. She had a 50 mph head on and in the process her heart stopped beating. The process of getting emergency services to her, extracting her from the wreck and restarting her heart took 20 minutes.
What saved her (she says) was people talking. She could not remember seeing anything after the crash but can remember people talking - probably Paramedics, who knew to keep the brain active.
I'm very skeptical of people saying that somebody was killed instantly, if you judged my wife's accident by her pulse then that would have been the case, but the reality is that her heart just stopped.
I'd imagine most people decapitated are conscious of what is going on but only in thought and hearing inputs for those 20 minutes.
hugoagogo said:
supposedly was some experiments done in france in the 19th century with people who were going to be guillotined, they arranged beforehand for people to try to talk to their heads, the heads blinked in response to questions etc
I couldn't think of a worse thing! 'does it hurt, mate? Does it? Does it?
' 
that's out of order IMO 
titiany said:
supposedly was some experiments done in france in the 19th century with people who were going to be guillotined, they arranged beforehand for people to try to talk to their heads, the heads blinked in response to questions etc
'does it hurt, mate? Does it? Does it?
Just think the last thing you remember is the pain inflicted when your head hits a basket from four feet up.
ywouldi said:
......
I say yes, the brain can function without oxygen for a couple of minutes so unless they are killed by shock I dont see why not?
Discuss
Ben
You can function for quite a while without oxygen, but not as long without blood. I've been grabbed in a 'sleeper' hold, and can confirm that things start to go grey after only a few seconds.
I would imagine that the combined effect of having the spinal column severed, and the spectacular loss of blood would result in a quick death.
Funny, I normally end up arguing about footie and films when I go to the pub!
titiany said:
Ask Ken Bigley
Agreed with Mrs F. That's horrible, BB, and you're out of line! You've said quite a few insensitive things on this site recently.
What's ruffled your feathers?
Nothing has ruffled the tw@t's feather's - I'm near positive he's the same twisted muppet behind the log-in's "Polikodor" & "ManiacalMaster"
lol mate, nice one....titiany said:
Ask Ken Bigley
Agreed with Mrs F. That's horrible, BB, and you're out of line! You've said quite a few insensitive things on this site recently.
What's ruffled your feathers?
Not tasteful, but it's interesting that we can talk at length about people having their head cut off, how much it hurts, whether they can see or think afterwards, fine - but only as long as they have no names or it happened more than x years ago. Mention someone that it actually happened to in living memory and we all throw up out arms in horror. There's no actual difference between Ken Bigley's horrible death and that of the French aristocracy, or of British POWs in Japan - all equally horrible and terrifying. It's just that we can remember one.
simpo two said:
Beaconbouy said:
Ask Ken Bigley
Agreed with Mrs F. That's horrible, BB, and you're out of line! You've said quite a few insensitive things on this site recently.
What's ruffled your feathers?
Not tasteful, but it's interesting that we can talk at length about people having their head cut off, how much it hurts, whether they can see or think afterwards, fine - but only as long as they have no names or it happened more than x years ago. Mention someone that it actually happened to in living memory and we all throw up out arms in horror. There's no actual difference between Ken Bigley's horrible death and that of the French aristocracy, or of British POWs in Japan - all equally horrible and terrifying. It's just that we can remember one.
yup - totally agree with you. The thought of beheading alone is not too bad. But couple it with a history of the person, or a story, or a connection with a family / personal touch and it's awful.
Here is one view - from www.richard.clark32.btinternet.co.uk/behead.html
The cause of death.
Beheading is effective and is probably as humane as any other modern method if carried out correctly. When a single blow is sufficient to decapitate the prisoner, they lose consciousness within a few seconds. They die from shock and anoxia due to haemorrhage and loss of blood pressure within less than 60 seconds. However because the muscles and vertebrae of the neck are tough, decapitation may require more than one blow. Death occurs due to separation of the brain and spinal cord, after the transection (cutting through) of the surrounding tissues. According to Dr. Harold Hillman "this must cause acute and possibly severe pain. Consciousness is probably lost within 2-3 seconds, due to a rapid fall of intracranial perfusion of blood" (blood supply to the brain).
It has often been reported that the eyes and mouths of people beheaded have shown signs of movement. It has been calculated that the human brain has enough oxygen stored for metabolism to persist about seven seconds after the head is cut off.
The problem with beheading.
Beheading requires a skilled headsman if it is to be at all humane and not infrequently several blows are required to sever the head. It took three blows to remove Mary Queen of Scot's head at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587.
The prisoner is usually blindfolded so that they do not see the sword or axe coming and move at the crucial moment. Again this is why in both beheading and guillotining it was not unusual for an assistant to hold the prisoner's hair to prevent them moving.
In any event the results are gory in the extreme as blood spurts from the severed arteries and veins of the neck including the aorta and the jugular vein. No doubt these two factors have lead to the abandonment of beheading by most countries that used it. All the European countries that used it have now totally abolished the death penalty.
The cause of death.
Beheading is effective and is probably as humane as any other modern method if carried out correctly. When a single blow is sufficient to decapitate the prisoner, they lose consciousness within a few seconds. They die from shock and anoxia due to haemorrhage and loss of blood pressure within less than 60 seconds. However because the muscles and vertebrae of the neck are tough, decapitation may require more than one blow. Death occurs due to separation of the brain and spinal cord, after the transection (cutting through) of the surrounding tissues. According to Dr. Harold Hillman "this must cause acute and possibly severe pain. Consciousness is probably lost within 2-3 seconds, due to a rapid fall of intracranial perfusion of blood" (blood supply to the brain).
It has often been reported that the eyes and mouths of people beheaded have shown signs of movement. It has been calculated that the human brain has enough oxygen stored for metabolism to persist about seven seconds after the head is cut off.
The problem with beheading.
Beheading requires a skilled headsman if it is to be at all humane and not infrequently several blows are required to sever the head. It took three blows to remove Mary Queen of Scot's head at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587.
The prisoner is usually blindfolded so that they do not see the sword or axe coming and move at the crucial moment. Again this is why in both beheading and guillotining it was not unusual for an assistant to hold the prisoner's hair to prevent them moving.
In any event the results are gory in the extreme as blood spurts from the severed arteries and veins of the neck including the aorta and the jugular vein. No doubt these two factors have lead to the abandonment of beheading by most countries that used it. All the European countries that used it have now totally abolished the death penalty.
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