# alive after rigor mortis??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387 "2008-05-23T18:04:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/1 "2008-05-23T18:04:01Z")
Here is a story I just read [http://www.newsnet5.com/health/16363548/detail.html](http://www.newsnet5.com/health/16363548/detail.html) You know if it was in some third world type country I’d say BullSHit and the doctors were mistaken… I still have a problem with the facts here. Can someone really have rigor mortis than “get better?” I suspect she really didn’t have rigor… Would they even consider someone for transplant purposes if the person is that far gone? ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/2 "2008-05-23T18:15:41Z")
As [rigor mortis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigor_mortis) doesn’t set in until around three hours after death, I call BS. Somebody misspoke or the reporter didn’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/3 "2008-05-23T18:21:32Z")
[Here](http://www.dailymail.com/News/200805200160) is a longer story from the local paper; no mention of rigor mortis. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/4 "2008-05-23T23:43:12Z")
I’ve heard of this happening before. Here’s another instance [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DF123FF935A25755C0A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DF123FF935A25755C0A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/5 "2008-05-24T00:16:40Z")
[QUOTE=JohnM] [Here](http://www.dailymail.com/News/200805200160) is a longer story from the local paper; no mention of rigor mortis. [/QUOTE] There is this bit: “Her skin had already started hardening, her hands and toes were curling up, they were already drawn,” he said. “There was no life there.” Perhaps it was due to the “arctic sun” (body temp lowered to 75F) treatment that she felt different to a healthy living person. ---
**Author:** ![nevermore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@nevermore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevermore)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/6 "2008-05-24T00:25:10Z")
[QUOTE=CaerieD] As [rigor mortis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigor_mortis) doesn’t set in until around three hours after death, I call BS. Somebody misspoke or the reporter didn’t understand. [/QUOTE] Rigor mortis is just the musculature response to no ATP. In a coma-like or near-death stage, it seems to me you’d be producing far less ATP than normal, so why couldn’t the muscles react to that? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/7 "2008-05-24T01:15:31Z")
This is possibly one of the poorest written/reported stories I’ve read lately. YOu have to work pretty hard to find out what the _son_ said and what was truly said by a medical person. There’s just no way to figure this one out given the reporting. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/8 "2008-05-24T13:59:27Z")
[QUOTE=JohnM] [Here](http://www.dailymail.com/News/200805200160) is a longer story from the local paper; no mention of rigor mortis. [/QUOTE] That article also says the son’s name is Tim, whereas the first article says it’s Jim. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/9 "2008-05-24T16:17:14Z")
[QUOTE=nevermore] Rigor mortis is just the musculature response to no ATP. In a coma-like or near-death stage, it seems to me you’d be producing far less ATP than normal, so why couldn’t the muscles react to that? [/QUOTE] Its is a very poor article. It mentions no heartbeat, but that she was being kept on life support for organ donation discussion. It only mentions a ventilator, but external pacing to keep the blood flowing would be an issue here. A ventilator alone does not keep someone alive, it just keeps them breathing. I’m not sure how long some kind of contractures may take to set in but full on rigor implies very definitely dead, this ladys body never really had the chance to totally die due to life support measures. ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alive-after-rigor-mortis/450387/10 "2008-05-24T22:10:18Z")
As far as Rigor Mortis taking three hours to set in, what about this: > [@](#): > > hey said Thomas suffered two heart attacks and had no brain waves for more **than 17 hours.** Not at all arguing, but I’m honestly curious about this freak story. Something is definitely amiss with this one. We need a real reporter to mosey on out to West “by God” Virginia. Actually, I just watched the video and am even more baffled now. Man. Interesting.