yosemite
10-18-2004, 02:45 PM
I've been reading this book, Stiff (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393050939/) (which is quite good, really) and it had a chapter about decapitated heads, focusing mostly on the history of the guillotine, and the research that French doctors did to determine whether or not those heads actually felt anything after that fatal cut. (The guillotine was used, apparently, because it was considered more "humane" than the hangman's rope so the question raised was whether it was really more humane or not.)
The author quotes a French doctor who was able to observe a guy whose head was just cut off. I'm too lazy to dredge up the book and type out his long quote, but basically as soon as the head was decapitated and hit the basket, the victim's eyes blinked quickly several times. Then they closed (most would assume that the guy was dead at this point). But the doctor loudly yelled out the victim's name, and the eyes slowly opened, and the pupils of the victim focused on the doctor. Eyes closed again, doctor yelled out the victim's name again, once again the eyes opened, looked at the doctor with focus, then closed. After that, the eyes no longer would focus and it seemed like the head was really dead.
Oh. My. Gosh. I had no idea that this happened. I found some other cites (don't know how reputable they are).
The Severed Head in Fact and Fiction (http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020930/severed_head.shtml):Partly, I think, because the guillotine also led to a public and heated discussion of whether or not those severed heads retained sensation. The presence of so many severed heads naturally led to amateur experimentation as well as more rigorous testing. A famous example involved Charlotte Corday, the young woman who stabbed Marat to death. After Corday was guillotined, her head was displayed to the crowd, and the executioner proceeded to slap both of her cheeks. Members of the crowd claimed that she blushed, and that her face assumed an indignant expression at the affront.
And from this site about car accidents (http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/01/02/1fll/part3.html) (partway down the page):"Neckbelt wearers are warned that a severed human head may remain alive for up to two minutes before blood loss, oxygen starvation and shock trauma cause it to lose consciousness. 'Brain death is something science still knows very little about,' said Chrysler safety engineer Tom Savini, 'but drivers should take note that law enforcement personnel have observed bouncing, rolling severed heads blinking their eyes and gasping for air as if attempting to speak minutes after decapitation on more than one occasion'."
This is bizarre stuff. I'm not usually a morbid type but since decapitated heads have been such a subject of horror and science fiction stories (see the first cite that I linked to) I guess it's natural to have some curiosity about the subject. I had no idea that there were claims that these heads were aware after the cut. Yikes.
(By the way, I highly recommend the book Stiff by Mary Roach. Read the reviews on Amazon.com to more thoroughly understand the book's appeal.)
The author quotes a French doctor who was able to observe a guy whose head was just cut off. I'm too lazy to dredge up the book and type out his long quote, but basically as soon as the head was decapitated and hit the basket, the victim's eyes blinked quickly several times. Then they closed (most would assume that the guy was dead at this point). But the doctor loudly yelled out the victim's name, and the eyes slowly opened, and the pupils of the victim focused on the doctor. Eyes closed again, doctor yelled out the victim's name again, once again the eyes opened, looked at the doctor with focus, then closed. After that, the eyes no longer would focus and it seemed like the head was really dead.
Oh. My. Gosh. I had no idea that this happened. I found some other cites (don't know how reputable they are).
The Severed Head in Fact and Fiction (http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020930/severed_head.shtml):Partly, I think, because the guillotine also led to a public and heated discussion of whether or not those severed heads retained sensation. The presence of so many severed heads naturally led to amateur experimentation as well as more rigorous testing. A famous example involved Charlotte Corday, the young woman who stabbed Marat to death. After Corday was guillotined, her head was displayed to the crowd, and the executioner proceeded to slap both of her cheeks. Members of the crowd claimed that she blushed, and that her face assumed an indignant expression at the affront.
And from this site about car accidents (http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/01/02/1fll/part3.html) (partway down the page):"Neckbelt wearers are warned that a severed human head may remain alive for up to two minutes before blood loss, oxygen starvation and shock trauma cause it to lose consciousness. 'Brain death is something science still knows very little about,' said Chrysler safety engineer Tom Savini, 'but drivers should take note that law enforcement personnel have observed bouncing, rolling severed heads blinking their eyes and gasping for air as if attempting to speak minutes after decapitation on more than one occasion'."
This is bizarre stuff. I'm not usually a morbid type but since decapitated heads have been such a subject of horror and science fiction stories (see the first cite that I linked to) I guess it's natural to have some curiosity about the subject. I had no idea that there were claims that these heads were aware after the cut. Yikes.
(By the way, I highly recommend the book Stiff by Mary Roach. Read the reviews on Amazon.com to more thoroughly understand the book's appeal.)