I remember hearing a story about a French doctor who was sentenced to beheading via guillotine. This doctor wanted to know how long a head remained "alive" after being severed, because he had witnessed a woman beheaded- the executioner picked up her head, and slapped her in the face. She allegedly "blushed". This made the doctor believe there was some form of consciousness left in her.
So he told his assistant that when he is beheaded, he will attempt to blink as many times as possible, demonstrating that he is still conscious and alive. He was beheaded, and his assistant counted 12 BLINKS before he was fully dead. This indicates that even after his head was severed, there was thought still happening in his head. He was able to focus on blinking while beheaded.
Anyone know if there is any truth to this?
Yes. There were a number of experiments conducted like that. In one, the executioner picked up the head and shouted the victim's name in his face. The eyes opened and moved as he looked at the executioner. The executioner turned the head so it could see the decapitated body and the victim's face appeared visibly upset, and the mouth moved as if it were trying to speak.
Fucking horrifying. Imagine looking at your body from a distance as blood pours out of your ruined neck...
Final thoughts must be absolutely terrifying. Brain is desperately firing signals down your nerves, but they aren't reaching their intended muscles and such... I'm sure this induces panic and shock.
I think it's the swiftness of the beheading that determines how conscious the condemned is. Like if a dude took three chops with an axe to lop your head off, you might start losing consciousness after the second strike. But a guillotine, instant separation of the nervous system from the brain.
That was the whole point of the doctor's design.
Heard the same story, don't know if it's true, I do know that people about to be beheaded were buying a lot of Absinthe, supposedly.
My 2 cents.
When blood is cut to the brain the drop in blood pressure causes lights out immediately. Zero delay.
I'm not saying that they die immediately but absolutely creatures will go unconscious instantly.
You can see it in their eyes
I go through this alot of the time just standing up, I get too excited and get up way too fast. Then I have to get right back down again and try again... It feels like it gets very close to a "lights out" situation, meaning soon as it happens I have to get the fuck down and "hug the ground" (bring my body to the lowest potential energy state in case of a fall).
So, will have to agree with the instant lights out theory. No blood, no thinky thoughts.
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