dying (somewhat morbid)

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by Datura, Oct 13, 2003.

  1. Datura surrender to nothing Registered Senior Member

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    161
    Say if someone was cleanly severed just above their pelvis and completely cut in half. How long would it take them to die, and what is the basis for this?

    Same thing, only burning to death. Would a person inhale smoke and flames causing the insides to burn up and die that way, or would death come from the exterior being burnt? How long until death in this circumstance?
     
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  3. Iris Registered Senior Member

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    In the first instance, unless the full-body amputation was done under surgical conditions, so that the blood vessels could be tied off, the person would be dead in under a minute, I would think, as all his blood pumped right out of his body.

    In the second instance, when people die in a fire, like a house fire (not like the World Trade Center), my understanding is that they pass out from the smoke inhalation, fall down unconscious, and then burn to death, depending on how hot the fire is--that is, they burn up on the outside and die from that before they can die from the smoke inhalation. However, people do die in house fires simply from smoke inhalation, but their bodies aren't all burned up. It depends on the fire.

    If you're sitting in the middle of a house fire, and you're breathing in flames, you are also burning on the outside, so it would be kind of moot, I think, whether you died from the flames in your lungs or the flames covering your body.

    I have no idea how long it would take--probably only a few minutes.

    Are you writing a story?
     
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  5. river-wind Valued Senior Member

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    people can go unconsious from lack of oxygen in a fire in a minute or so, or it could take an hour. As Iris said, it depends on the fire - you'll either suffocate from fuems, or you'll burn. depends on how close/hot the fire is, and what is buring.

    you'll lose consciousness from being cut in half almost instantainious, due to shock. You might be talking, and you might be trying to find your legs, but you won't be fully conscious. If you were cut above the pelvis, then you'd loose alot of blood/gastrointestinal material, loose blood presure *real* fast, and go out. it would take a minute of so for your brain cells to start dieing from a lack of O2. You wouldn't be aware of most of it however.


    That said, there was a French physician duringt he revolution who was condemed to beheading. He worked out a system w/ his apprentice to count the number of times his eyes blinked after he was beheaded. He got over 30 blinks in before he was really "dead". He seamed to have a fair amount of awareness in his brain even with massive trauma.
    Supposedly, another woman was beheaded, and the severved head held up in front of the croud. the executioner slapped the cheek of the girl (a serious offront in pre-revolution life), and the head blushed. From the accounts, both cheeks turned rosy, as if in embarasment. Other stories of Old-time Samuri being able to train their bodies so well that it would complete one last action after it's head was removed.

    So really, we don't know. It depends for every person, and the exact situation. All I can really say about either situation would be: Thank God for Shock.
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2003
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  7. Datura surrender to nothing Registered Senior Member

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    Thank you both.
    No Iris, I am not writing a story. I've been curious about this for awhile.
     
  8. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    33,264
    About a year ago a race car driver named Zanardi was sliced in half during a race. He was taken to a hospital within 10 minutes and is now alive and trying to race once again.


    LAUSITZRING: A SAD DAY
    At mid september 2001 was planned the first European CART race on the Eurospeedway at Lausitzring, a fantastic event for the European fans that was spoilt a few days before the race due to the abominable attack to the Twin Tower at New York and to the Pentagon so the moral was not at the top and also the bad weather was not helping. Due to the continue rain, the qualifying session was canceled and the starting grid was based on the overall standing, a pity since both MNR drivers were at the top of the warm-up the day of the race. Started from the 22th place, after a cautious first half of race Alessandro began to gain position after position until to reach the lead and for the very first time in 2001 he seemed to enjoy to race . At the 142th lap the fact that changed the result of the race and his life. As a leader of the race, Alessandro went inside the pits for the last refuelling but, leaving the pit-lane, he lost the control of the car ending the consequently uncontrolled spin exactly in the middle of the track at the same moment Alex Tagliani was arriving at a speed of more than 300 kph (185 mph). The crash was terrible and Zanardi's Reynard-Honda broke in two parts near the cockpit leaving the legs of Alessandro heavily injured and exposed outside the chassis. The immediate intevention of the fantastic Simple Green Safety Team, of the DR.Olvey and Dr.Trammel was decisive to save Alessandro's life since they reduced the huge bleeding. Immediately Alessandro was airlifted to the Krankenhaus Berlin-Marzahn - a hospital specialized to treat patients with serious injuries to the limbs - and when he arrived there was only a liter of blood left. The doctors performed an emergency operation on him but unfortunately both the legs were too heavily damaged to be saved so it was necessary ampute them. The first days after the operation were very critical because he was in danger of life due to possible infections and, to let him rest without problems, doctors decided to keep Alessandro in a medically induced coma for a few days. Luckily his constitution was strong enough to let him to go out of danger but a huge encouragement went also from his wife Daniela costantly near to Alessandro and after a few days also from his child, Niccolò. Little by little and after many operations his recovery was achieved and at the end of october, one month and half after the crash, it was allowed to him to return at home . THE SECOND LIFE OF ZANARDI
    Returned at home, one of the first things Alessandro thought to do was to change his driving license to be in position to drive his BMW 530 station wagon with manual controls and with that car he drove from his home at Montecarlo to Imola(Italy) to be visited by his friend Dr.Costa, a trip 500 km (311 miles) long! Paradoxically, after the crash, Alessandro became more popular than in the past because during many interviews it was evident an incredible wish to walk again with the prosthesis, a remarkable self-irony and the wish to put above all the beautiful things he has got left (family, friends and fans) instead to complain about what he has lost. At the beginning of December 2001 finally it was possible to see him in public again during the "Caschi d'Oro" celebration when he was amazing one more time being able to stand up from the wheelchair causing a deep emotion (on the right with Dr.Costa -left- and the physiotherapist Panizzi -right-). The year 2002 is the one of the rebirth for Alessandro since he will walk again unaided, because he will be able to put Niccolò on his shoulders and because he will return in USA to attend to some CART races, to give a huge hug to the crew that saved his life and to greet his American friend and fans one more time. To confirm his willpower Alessandro confirmed that a day he will return to the racing: if he said that, we must be sure he will do it!
    PICTURES AT:

    http://digilander.libero.it/alexzanardifan/
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2003
  9. Xenu BBS Whore Registered Senior Member

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    I know that if you get a limb cut off, your body naturally reacts by constricting blood vessels so that you don't bleed to death quickly. I imagine the same would happen if you got cut in half.
     
  10. sargentlard Save the whales motherfucker Valued Senior Member

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    6,698
    Would it? There is a lot more surface area damage with the body being diced in half ass opposed to a limb being severed off. Blood would flow much faster and in much greater amount with the torso being axed.
     
  11. SoLiDUS OMGWTFBBQ Registered Senior Member

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    Constriction or not, the end result is the same.

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  12. curioucity Unbelievable and odd Registered Senior Member

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    Dying of being 'split' seems to be caused by heavy bleeding if it happens on the limbs, or organ malfunctioning otherwise.
    You know, before I saw this thread, I wanted to post something similar to this: the dying process. However, what I thought was too gory, I guess, so I cancelled it....
     

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