Decapitation myth?

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clickynext

Platinum Member
Dec 24, 2004
2,583
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Originally posted by: 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.
Yeah, but the dreams are not maintained in memory for very long, so if wake up dring the non-REM stage of sleep, then you will probably not remember.

Oh, about the head severing, I'd assume that you would retain conciousness for a few seconds, probably short of a minute, because the blood would all flow out far too quickly. Think of how easily people can come close to losing conciousness, just by sitting for a long period of time, and then getting up quickly so that there's a shortage of blood in the head.
 

Excelsior

Lifer
May 30, 2002
19,047
18
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Originally posted by: 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.

 

Excelsior

Lifer
May 30, 2002
19,047
18
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Originally posted by: 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:

 

Mrvile

Lifer
Oct 16, 2004
14,066
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Originally posted by: clickynext
Originally posted by: 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.
Yeah, but the dreams are not maintained in memory for very long, so if wake up dring the non-REM stage of sleep, then you will probably not remember.

Oh, about the head severing, I'd assume that you would retain conciousness for a few seconds, probably short of a minute, because the blood would all flow out far too quickly. Think of how easily people can come close to losing conciousness, just by sitting for a long period of time, and then getting up quickly so that there's a shortage of blood in the head.

That still is difficult to believe...it takes only about 5 seconds to become dizzy when you stand up quickly from a sitting position, and severing a head loses blood much more quickly. There are so many factors that can make you go instantly unconcious, it's hard to imagine being able to be awake for even a few seconds.
 

myusername

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2003
5,046
0
0
Originally posted by: ShadowBlade
you can stay alive until you starve/dehydrate to death as long as you have blood and oxygen
Considering the bloodstream carries both nutrients fluids and oxygen, that could be a really long time ;)
 

arcenite

Lifer
Dec 9, 2001
10,660
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Damnit, I hate it when I get curious about things because it makes me want to try it :Q
 

DanTMWTMP

Lifer
Oct 7, 2001
15,908
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didn't some dude in France try it? He was so curious, that he wanted to get his head lobbed off as well (during the french revolution). He asked some other dude to see how many times he can still blink while his head has been cut off.

I forgot the exact number however.


EDIT: GAH beat me to it... Someone already posted a link about it. I myself saw it on the history or discovery channel documentary hehe.
 

Shawn

Lifer
Apr 20, 2003
32,236
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Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
didn't some dude in France try it? He was so curious, that he wanted to get his head lobbed off as well (during the french revolution). He asked some other dude to see how many times he can still blink while his head has been cut off.

I forgot the exact number however.

I heard about this too. I think he was going to die anyway.

 

Circlenaut

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2001
2,175
5
81
Chemistry teacher said it's true:

A story relates how Lavoisier arranged a final experiment at his death intended to determine whether and for how long a severed head remains conscious after decapitation. Supposedly, Lavoisier decided to blink as many times as possible, and had an assistant count the blinks, which numbered between 15 and 20. The story may be apocryphal. Standard biographies have never mentioned the incident, and some biologists have expressed skepticism that it would be possible. Empirical evidence on this point varies in reliability and is difficult to evaluate.[1]

-- Wiki quote

source
 

Azndude51

Platinum Member
Sep 26, 2004
2,842
4
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Originally posted by: 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.

I've heard my friends mention Faces of Death videos, but what are they and where can i see them? I'm kinda curious
 

Powermoloch

Lifer
Jul 5, 2005
10,084
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It's a possibility, your brain can survive without oxygen for quite a bit (1-2 mins without O2). But it's hard to experiment....unless
 

Powermoloch

Lifer
Jul 5, 2005
10,084
4
76
Originally posted by: Azndude51
Originally posted by: 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.

I've heard my friends mention Faces of Death videos, but what are they and where can i see them? I'm kinda curious


video stores most of the time
 

Alkesh

Golden Member
Jul 21, 2005
1,391
1
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during the french revolution, one guy who knew he was going to die decided to try to blink as many times as he could after his head was cut off, he did it fo rlike 30 seconds.
 

AccruedExpenditure

Diamond Member
May 12, 2001
6,960
7
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Originally posted by: Alkesh
during the french revolution, one guy who knew he was going to die decided to try to blink as many times as he could after his head was cut off, he did it fo rlike 30 seconds.

Read the god damn post, three people said this before you.
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,875
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Originally posted by: C6FT7
Perhaps but you could not post it without hands to type!
DVR FTW! (Disembodied Voice Recognition).
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,875
10,681
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Originally posted by: Savij
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: C6FT7
Perhaps but you could not post it without hands to type!
DVR FTW! (Disembodied Voice Recognition).


How do you speak with no lungs?
Oops! Errrr . . . a nod is as good as wink to a decapitated horse?

 

Savij

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2001
4,233
0
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Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: Savij
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: C6FT7
Perhaps but you could not post it without hands to type!
DVR FTW! (Disembodied Voice Recognition).


How do you speak with no lungs?
Oops! Errrr . . . a nod is as good as wink to a decapitated horse?


How do you nod with no shoulders?

And why are you decapitating the horese along with the person? So they can ride off into the sunset together?
 

chambersc

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2005
6,247
0
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Originally posted by: Alkesh
during the french revolution, one guy who knew he was going to die decided to try to blink as many times as he could after his head was cut off, he did it fo rlike 30 seconds.

damn, I was gonna say this too. heard it in my western civ class last semester.