oriolesfan129
08-19-2005, 04:58 PM
I am reading a book called Stiff. In one chapter, they say that when a head is cut off using the guillotine, that the head is still alive for about 12 seconds, that it can see, think and smell. I know that is true, but here is my question. The book didn't say whether or not this was true. They said that the baskets had to be replaced about every 3 months because the heads chew up the bottom of the basket? Is that true?
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Melissa1983
08-23-2005, 01:10 AM
Hey :) This question is super interesting. When a person is beheaded, the head (which still includes the brain - the mission control system of the body) can still think, see, hear, and smell. On the topic on whether or not the head can chew the bottom of a basket - this is medically not possible.
When we think of the head, we know it contains a mouth, eyes, ears and a nose. These are all key players in how our senses work. Now, attached to the brain, at its base, is the beginning of the central nervous system. The CNS runs through the spinal column and controls our movement and reflexes.
Now, in order for any part of our body to make a movement, a number of neurons (found within the CNS) need to fire and a cascade of events occurs, resulting in our desired movement. Let's say we want to chew our food. Our muscles in our jaw must now receive these signals from the CNS.
So, when a person is beheaded, the head is separated from the body (hense separated from the central nervous system). So, if there is no CNS to control the chewing movement, the beheaded head cannot chew the bottom of the basket.
Hope this explains it!
Melissa
When we think of the head, we know it contains a mouth, eyes, ears and a nose. These are all key players in how our senses work. Now, attached to the brain, at its base, is the beginning of the central nervous system. The CNS runs through the spinal column and controls our movement and reflexes.
Now, in order for any part of our body to make a movement, a number of neurons (found within the CNS) need to fire and a cascade of events occurs, resulting in our desired movement. Let's say we want to chew our food. Our muscles in our jaw must now receive these signals from the CNS.
So, when a person is beheaded, the head is separated from the body (hense separated from the central nervous system). So, if there is no CNS to control the chewing movement, the beheaded head cannot chew the bottom of the basket.
Hope this explains it!
Melissa