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In the heyday of the guillotine during the French Revolution, it is said that many of the condemned were asked to blink for as long as possible after decapitation. While many reportedly did not blink at all, some complied for as long as thirty seconds. Still other observations describe much more specific reactions to stimuli following beheading. Consider the case of Languille, a convicted murderer who was guillotined in France. He was observed by Dr. Beaurieux during his execution at 5:30am on June 28th, 1905. As written in Archives d'Anthropologie Criminelle, here are the doctor's observations:
"Here, then, is what I was able to note immediately after the decapitation: the eyelids and lips of the guillotined man worked in irregularly rhythmic contractions for about five or six seconds ... I waited for several seconds. The spasmodic movements ceased.The face relaxed, the lids half closed on the eyeballs, leaving only the white of the conjunctiva visible, exactly as in the dying whom we have occasion to see every day in the exercise of our profession, or as in those just dead.It was then that I called in a strong, sharp voice: 'Languille!' I saw the eyelids slowly lift up, without any spasmodic contractions ... Next Languille's eyes very definitely fixed themselves on mine and the pupils focused themselves ... After several seconds, the eyelids closed again, slowly and evenly, and the head took on the same appearance as it had had before I called out.It was at that point that I called out again and, once more, without any spasm, slowly, the eyelids lifted and undeniably living eyes fixed themselves on mine with perhaps even more penetration than the first time. Then there was a further closing of the eyelids, but now less complete. I attempted the effect of a third call; there was no further movement and the eyes took on the glazed look which they have in the dead.
I have just recounted to you with rigorous exactness what I was able to observe. The whole thing had lasted twenty-five to thirty seconds."
.......
She was skiing down a waterfall gully near Narvik in north Norway when she fell head first into a river.
Her head and body became wedged under thick ice, and her friends could not free her.
She found an air pocket and struggled for 40 minutes before she fell still. It was another 40 minutes before her friends cut a hole in the ice and dragged her out downstream.
Anna was accompanied by two medical colleagues, who called an emergency medical dispatch centre by mobile telephone.
She was ventilated with oxygen and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during a one-hour flight to hospital.
.........
Originally posted by redoubt
reply to post by Aleister
I am a firm believer in the soul, or spirit that survives physical death. Even if you extract all the mysticism and religion, you still have the human brain that is basically electrical. Electric is a form of energy and energy never dissipates, it merely changes form.
You can approach this from a lot of avenues and still find reason to believe.
Now, as for the first eight hours? I dunno. I'll drop a line as soon as I get there
edit on 26-2-2013 by redoubt because: addendum
Originally posted by Aleister
My sister is moaning about a segment she saw on America's the "Today" Show this morning, in which a "scientist" (possibly from Harvard) said it takes the brain eight hours to die during the death process. So she thinks that people she's known who have died were put into the morgue locker still consciously thinking for up to eight hours.
Originally posted by Aleister
My sister is moaning about a segment she saw on America's the "Today" Show this morning, in which a "scientist" (possibly from Harvard) said it takes the brain eight hours to die during the death process. So she thinks that people she's known who have died were put into the morgue locker still consciously thinking for up to eight hours.
I can sum her situation with two words man, she's paranoid.
I wish to be cremated when I die so I went over to the funeral home to get information. This was 3 years ago. I asked that question and I said that I didn't want to be cremated if I was 'still in the body feeling and thinking'. The funeral home said 'no worries', that death didn't happen like that. Pretty much, when you are dead, you are dead. Within seconds .. perhaps a minute or two ... nothing else from the body will be registering with 'you' ...