Posted By Jane Blunt
I don't know, is the short answer.

However, in judo you can win a contest by strangulation, which is cutting off the blood supply to the brain by pressing on the carotid arteries. Unconsciousness ensues in a lot less than 20 seconds if the victim fails to submit.

Since this is not good for you, I have not done any timed trials.

Jane

Posted By Lee Mac
David,

As per the previous poster I don't know, but I feel compelled to ask what course is this for?

Lee

Posted By Shane J
As an Occupational First Aid Instructor we were trained to teach that loss of blood pressure to that extreme would cause loss of consciousness.

There are varying degrees of consciousness and this is open to interpretation.


29 seconds was fairly good, I wonder if that's the record.

Posted By Rob T
There are a few accounts of some of those who were beheaded during the French Revolution, blinking and even trying to mouthe words for a few seconds after decapitation. I have also come accross accounts from soldiers where they have sworn that they could see movement in eyes immediately after decapitation in the field. In the few cases I have seen myself I haven't witnessed anything other than total and immediate shutdown. I do believe it is possible though.

I too would like to know what course you are doing! Not thinking of doing a realistic remake "Frankenstein Returns" are we?

Posted By Seamus O Sullivan
Yes I am also curious about the course. Hopefully you will not need to supply visual aids.
Seamus

Posted By Shane J
The mouth movement and eye blinking could be nerve twitches.

It happens when dissecting frogs too, the legs kick but the frogs are dead.

Posted By Raymond Rapp
I was under the impression that a decapitated head would not loose consciousness immediately from blood loss. In any case, the brain would still be oxygenated for a short while and therefore in theory the person would not be dead.

Ray

Posted By Paul Leadbetter
CFT

There is a version of the story here: http://www.biographybase...ier_Antoine_Laurent.html
but I guess it could be apocryphal.

Paul

Posted By Emyr Evans
I bought my wife a book for xmas "Does Anything Eat Wasps? & 101 other questions" - New Scientist - ISBN 1-86197-973-8.

Read page 43 "Does heading hurt?"

"When Mary, Queen of Scots was executed .... in 1587, a clumsy headsman gave her 3 strokes without quite managing to sever the head ... (he) then had to saw through the skin ^ gristle with a sheath knife ... the profound, protected groan Mary gave when the axe first hit her left the horrified witnesses in no doubt that her pain was excruciating..."

".... In France, in the days of the guillotine ... heads blinked for 30 seconds after decapitation ... how much voluntary v nerve reflex is unknown..." - Dale McIntyre, University of Cambridge.



"Antoine Lavoisier, a French chemist (1743-1794) was caught in the revolution & faced beheading. He asked friends to observe closely as he would continue to blink as long as possible after being killed. He was reported to have blinked for 15 seconds after decapitation" - A Gryant, Australia

There is no basis to this fact.



"Dr Beaurieux reports an experiment with the head of the murderer Languille, guillotined @ 5\;30am on 28/6/1905 - immediately after decapitation; the eyelids & lips ... worked in irregularly rhythmic contractions for about 5-6 seconds ... I waited for several seconds. The spasmodic movements ceased. The face relaxed, the lids half closed on the eyeballs ... exactly as dying... It was ten that I shouted in a strong, sharp voice "Languille!" - I saw the eyelids slowly fit up, without spasmodic contractions... (his) eyes very definitely fixed themselves on mine and the pupils focused themselves...after a few seconds they closed ... I called out again & once more, without a spasm , slowly the eyelids opened and undeniably living eyes fixed themselves on mine...then the eyes lids closed ... I attempted a 3rd call - there was no further movement .... the whole thing had lasted 25-30 seconds" - Mike Snowden, London + see www.metaphor.dk/guillotine



For the "instantaneous brigade", the editorial on the book states - "Death occurs due to separation of the brain and spinal cord, after transection of the surrounding tissue. This must cause acute and possibly sever pain. Consciousness is probably lost within 2-3 seconds, due to rapid fall of intracranial perfusion of blood"



Research is better than speculation - perhaps a wise thing to remember when we all want to express an ill-informed opinion on this web-page

Posted By Philip McAleenan
Jane,

when you quote an author and cite the source, there is no breach of copyright. Especially when it is ony a few sentences.

Philip

Posted By Rob T
Just a quick note to the Moderators -

Great! I thank you for listening to previous threads in regards to putting a reason down for removing a thread.

Cheers
Rob

Posted By steve e ashton
I have no idea (and don't really want to know) how long a decapitated head may live.

And its probably not relevant but did you know that the rest of the body may survive for some time without the encumbrance of the head... For several months!!!

see:
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/headless_chicken/

Steve

Posted By barry dodson
Dont know about the head or the human body.
Chickens yes Mike the headless chicken lasted 18 months.

http://www.miketheheadlesschicken.org/story.html