# Old style punishments, i. e. cutting off hand for stealing. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193 "2008-12-21T15:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/1 "2008-12-21T15:34:02Z")
How was this handled? If someone cut off my hand, I would bleed to death pretty quickly! So what was the drill? Chop hand, off to the ER? Surgical removal with sutures? Why would this not be a death sentence? ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/2 "2008-12-21T15:48:47Z")
Not sure about the Old Days, but when the Taliban ran Afghanistan ten years ago, they imposed such _Sharia_ penalties (a) in public arenas and (b) using modern surgical techniques. (Similarly, they had at least a few public stonings of adulterers and lashings of people for things like a woman not wearing a veil in public.) ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/3 "2008-12-21T16:53:03Z")
I remember seeing some documentary about boys being castrated in India. I forget the name but they seem to be a class and make a living as prostitutes. It has supposedly disappeared but the purpose of this documentary was to show it still existed. And they showed with hidden camera how a young, prepubescent boy was done. I will never forget the horror of seeing those images. With the boy standing up a big guy just grabbed his testicles and penis and cut them of with a single quick cut from a sharp knife. Blood gushed out and several people then tended to the wound. It must have been excruciatingly painful and I would not be surprised if many boys died either from shock or infection. Sometimes I realize there are awful things going on in the world. I also saw a documentary about poor girls being enslaved to prostitution in Burma. Poor children chained to a bed like animals. I feel guilty because we live our lives not caring about these things. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/4 "2008-12-21T17:08:08Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > How was this handled? If someone cut off my hand, I would bleed to death pretty quickly! So what was the drill? Chop hand, off to the ER? Surgical removal with sutures? Why would this not be a death sentence? It’s unlikely a transection of the radial and ulnar arteries would produce a lethal exsanguination even if the amputation were done rather crudely, as long as the stump owner was given permission to attend to the wound. Arteries bleed a great deal more if they are lacerated longitudinally, and those two arteries, cut in cross-section, are relatively easily staunched by direct pressure while a more definitive repair is undertaken. Even a sword or axe blow distal to the shoulder resulting in complete severence of part of the upper extremity is reasonably survivable. And as a punishment, hand amputation can transform a wretched life of stealing into a productive and re-integrated citizen. So there is the good side of punitive amputations (under Sharia, e.g.) to be commented upon, as well. Ask Buba and Lawali. [BBC NEWS | Africa | Eyewitness: Nigeria's Sharia amputees](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2587039.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/5 "2008-12-21T17:11:43Z")
Burning the fresh stump by direct flame, hot iron or boiling oil was allegedly used to stop bleeding. Not that it was painless or even life-saving in the long haul… ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/6 "2008-12-21T18:07:50Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > Even a sword or axe blow distal to the shoulder resulting in complete severence of part of the upper extremity is reasonably survivable. 'Tis but a scratch. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/7 "2008-12-21T18:13:24Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I remember seeing some documentary about boys being castrated in India. I forget the name but they seem to be a class and make a living as prostitutes. It has supposedly disappeared but the purpose of this documentary was to show it still existed. And they showed with hidden camera how a young, prepubescent boy was done. I will never forget the horror of seeing those images. With the boy standing up a big guy just grabbed his testicles and penis and cut them of with a single quick cut from a sharp knife. Blood gushed out and several people then tended to the wound. It must have been excruciatingly painful and I would not be surprised if many boys died either from shock or infection. > > Sometimes I realize there are awful things going on in the world. I also saw a documentary about poor girls being enslaved to prostitution in Burma. Poor children chained to a bed like animals. > > I feel guilty because we live our lives not caring about these things. Now, now. We have to respect adults’ religious attitudes towards their boys’ genitals. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/8 "2008-12-21T18:33:43Z")
> [@](#): > > I feel guilty because we live our lives not caring about these things. You feel guilty about not feeling guilty enough? ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/9 "2008-12-21T18:37:21Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I remember seeing some documentary about boys being castrated in India. I forget the name but they seem to be a class and make a living as prostitutes. [Some jerk with a weekly newspaper column wrote about this once.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1041/why-are-indian-eunuchs-warned-about-unsafe-sex) They’re called hijras. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/10 "2008-12-21T19:45:34Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Now, now. We have to respect adults’ religious attitudes towards their boys’ genitals. Except that it has nothing to do with religion. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/11 "2008-12-21T23:22:03Z")
I’ve read the stump was plunged into hot pitch to cauterize the wound and stop bleeding. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/12 "2008-12-21T23:32:13Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > Except that it has nothing to do with religion. Educate me please. What does it have to do with? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/13 "2008-12-21T23:37:06Z")
Saudi Arabia still chops off hands. They also still use swords to cut off heads for capital punishment. Check the section on justice: > **[Escape Artist - International Strategies For The Globally Minded](https://www.escapeartist.com/)** > > Escape Artist is the world’s largest and oldest expat resources for going offshore. Learn about second passports, offshore banking, flag theory, tax strategies, global investments, and more... The place where they do this is called (informally) chop chop square. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/14 "2008-12-22T00:01:05Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Educate me please. What does it have to do with? Prostitution. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/15 "2008-12-22T00:04:30Z")
> [@BrightNShiny](#): > > Prostitution. Cut a boy’s genitals off equals prostitution? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/16 "2008-12-22T00:11:08Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Cut a boy’s genitals off equals prostitution? Prostitution is the motivation behind cutting off the boy’s genitals. What is so difficult about this to understand? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/17 "2008-12-22T00:15:19Z")
Amputations are carried out by one of the State Executioner. THe Al-Bishi family has a lock on the jobs. Executions pay SAR5,000 a job. They also fly for free on internal flights to work. They use a sword to make the cut in the presence of a team of doctors who patch the miscreant back together again. They generally do in on Friday mornings in front of the main mosque. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/18 "2008-12-22T00:15:58Z")
> [@BrightNShiny](#): > > Prostitution is the motivation behind cutting off the boy’s genitals. What is so difficult about this to understand? The part where you haven’t provided a cite. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/19 "2008-12-22T00:21:48Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > The part where you haven’t provided a cite. Why don’t you provide a cite that it’s religious based? I’ve read a lot of Hindu scripture and theology, and I’ve never seen anything that requires male castration. Why don’t you show me the Hindu scripture that calls for male castration? And if you look at **sailor** ’s original post, he clearly states that the documentary he watched was about prostitutes. Since you are the one claiming a religious motivation, why don’t you show me what the religious motivation is? You strike me as someone who isn’t really interested in determining the root causes of this practice and figuring out a way to end it. You simply want to bash some mythical PC police and/or a specific religion. Have fun, but I’m not playing.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193/20 "2008-12-22T00:43:28Z")
Since you asked for a cite: [Prostitution and sex trafficking are illegal in India](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_India). There are people who are called hijras who have a gender identity condition and voluntarily may undergo the equivalent of a sex change operation. And because of the lack of protection for transgendered people in India and the lack of available medical facilities, they may choose to undergo this in the crude fashion described above. But unlicensed practice of a medical operation is illegal in India and forcing a child to undergo genital mutilation is illegal as well. This is a hijack of the thread, so I’ll stop now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-style-punishments-i-e-cutting-off-hand-for-stealing/478193.md?page=2)