Decapitation myth?

[49erinnc]

I read/heard somewhere that if the human head is quickly severed, that you would maintain the ability to be "conscious" for up to 30 seconds. I'm thinking that if this is true, it would be incredibly disturbing to view your headless body.

Anyone think this is possible or complete BS? Makes sense to me, given the complexity and sophistication of the human brain.

 

[Malak]

How could you test it? Sounds like BS, not because it isn't necessarily true, but because there's no way to know without doing it.

 

[Bateluer]

Submit it to Mythbusters.

 

[Encryptic]

It's been tested but nothing conclusive, from what I gather.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: Encryptic
It's been tested but nothing conclusive, from what I gather.

I put it in the same category as the people who say everyone dreams. I don't believe it, because I don't dream. They claim I just don't remember, but that's BS. There is no way they can conclusively say I dream.

 

[BrokenVisage]

I would close my eyes and simply wait to die, problem solved.

 

[Skunkwourk]

is 30 seconds enough to test cognitive thought, for all we know it could just be random babbling...

 

[49erinnc]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Submit it to Mythbusters.

 

[Baked]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: Encryptic
It's been tested but nothing conclusive, from what I gather.

I put it in the same category as the people who say everyone dreams. I don't believe it, because I don't dream. They claim I just don't remember, but that's BS. There is no way they can conclusively say I dream.

12/10:thumbsup:

 

[hjo3]

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_221a.html

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_262.html

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: Encryptic
It's been tested but nothing conclusive, from what I gather.

I put it in the same category as the people who say everyone dreams. I don't believe it, because I don't dream. They claim I just don't remember, but that's BS. There is no way they can conclusively say I dream.

They've tested people that say they dont dream. They wake them up in the middle of REM sleep and the yremember what they were dreaming about

 

[49erinnc]

Originally posted by: hjo3
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_221a.html

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_262.html

I'll be damn...Wolfen is the movie I heard that at. Good find there.

I guess I buy into the immediate unconscious notion but I wonder if you are still capable of thoughts because of the prolonged brain activity?

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

It's true.

I've seen one to many Faces of Death videos I guess. I can even point you to a link if you'd like to prove this.

Anyways, you will be able to look around for a bit. And you are conscious. Not sure if 30 seconds is rlistic. Maybe up to 5 seconds.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Originally posted by: Malak
How could you test it? Sounds like BS, not because it isn't necessarily true, but because there's no way to know without doing it.

Somebody tried it during the French revolution- they said the guy blinked his eye 12 times.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
They've tested people that say they dont dream. They wake them up in the middle of REM sleep and the yremember what they were dreaming about

The difference is, I DO remember when I DO dream, but people say you ALWAYS dream. That doesn't make any sense. I'm a creative person, so I take my dreams serious. I think about what they mean to me. I rarely dream though.

 

[49erinnc]

Or so I thought. Then I received a note from a U.S. Army veteran who had been stationed in Korea. In June 1989 the taxi he and a friend were riding in collided with a truck. My correspondent was pinned in the wreckage. The friend was decapitated. Here's what happened:

My friend's head came to rest face up, and (from my angle) upside-down. As I watched, his mouth opened and closed no less than two times. The facial expressions he displayed were first of shock or confusion, followed by terror or grief. I cannot exaggerate and say that he was looking all around, but he did display ocular movement in that his eyes moved from me, to his body, and back to me. He had direct eye contact with me when his eyes took on a hazy, absent expression . . . and he was dead.

That really bothered me for some reason.

 

[Eli]

I received a note from a U.S. Army veteran who had been stationed in Korea. In June 1989 the taxi he and a friend were riding in collided with a truck. My correspondent was pinned in the wreckage. The friend was decapitated. Here's what happened:

My friend's head came to rest face up, and (from my angle) upside-down. As I watched, his mouth opened and closed no less than two times. The facial expressions he displayed were first of shock or confusion, followed by terror or grief. I cannot exaggerate and say that he was looking all around, but he did display ocular movement in that his eyes moved from me, to his body, and back to me. He had direct eye contact with me when his eyes took on a hazy, absent expression . . . and he was dead.

That would be beyond fscked up.

:shocked:

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: Mo0o
They've tested people that say they dont dream. They wake them up in the middle of REM sleep and the yremember what they were dreaming about

The difference is, I DO remember when I DO dream, but people say you ALWAYS dream. That doesn't make any sense. I'm a creative person, so I take my dreams serious. I think about what they mean to me. I rarely dream though.

Sometimes you remember, sometimes you dont, it depends on what stage of sleep you were in when you wake up. But it's been proven that if they wake you at a specific stage in your sleep cycle you'll always remember what yo'ure dreaming

 

[Mucho]

I doubt it, I think the instant the head is severed you would go into shock.

 

[Mrvile]

Originally posted by: Mucho
I doubt it, I think the instant the head is severed you would go into shock.

Seriously, there's no way you can stay concious once your head is severed.

 

[bonkers325]

maybe we'll debunk that myth when we develop the technology to preserve the heads of famous people, like from Futurama

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: Mo0o
They've tested people that say they dont dream. They wake them up in the middle of REM sleep and the yremember what they were dreaming about

The difference is, I DO remember when I DO dream, but people say you ALWAYS dream. That doesn't make any sense. I'm a creative person, so I take my dreams serious. I think about what they mean to me. I rarely dream though.

I think they mean that you always dream during REM sleep.
Or, every night, as long as you get sufficient sleep, you dream. Maybe not continuously, but you dream every night.

 

[Mrvile]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: Mo0o
They've tested people that say they dont dream. They wake them up in the middle of REM sleep and the yremember what they were dreaming about

The difference is, I DO remember when I DO dream, but people say you ALWAYS dream. That doesn't make any sense. I'm a creative person, so I take my dreams serious. I think about what they mean to me. I rarely dream though.

I think they mean that you always dream during REM sleep.
Or, every night, as long as you get sufficient sleep, you dream. Maybe not continuously, but you dream every night.

True, and it can be tested through the monitoring of brain waves, which is quite easy. It's also very easy to forget dreams...I admit I dream every night but I don't remember much of them when I wake up...only glimses of them.

 

[KarenMarie]

Originally posted by: hjo3
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_221a.html

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_262.html

that is really interesting!

:thumbsup:

 

[theMan]

it is true that the eyes blink, and the mouth moves, but wether or not that is actuall conciousness is another story. i guess it comes down to how you define life, eh?