• Geetnerd@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Well, multiple scientists and doctors during the French Revolution reported that multiple victims maintained consciousness, briefly, after being beheaded, up to 30 seconds. One such incident happened in 1905, to a French criminal named Henri Languille. The French used the guillotine as the State method for executions up until 1981. The last beheading was in 1977.

    https://mikedashhistory.com/2011/01/25/some-experiments-with-severed-heads/

    In short, it’s not painless, and does not cause instant unconsciousness. If that was the goal, they’d render the “criminal” unconscious before execution.

    But then, that’s not the point, is it?

    • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      I don’t believe up to 30 seconds is possible. A proper choke in judo can render a person unconscious in ~6 seconds. Looping the head off would be a complete cessation of blood flow, You probably would experience your head starting to roll into the basket, but you’d be long gone before you hit the bottom.

    • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      So guillotine, but instead of a blade, just put a 2ft cube of steel to smash the entire head

      • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        Compressed air spike to the base of the head. You’d be dead before the sensation of pain could be registered.

        • unphazed@lemmy.world
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          22 hours ago

          I mean, we put cows down with a pneumatic hammer to the skull (Except the last place where I bought 200lbs of ground beef, found a bullet in that one. Also began questioning what parts were in the meat but I had already made 100 burgers and no one had become ill by that point…)

          • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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            22 hours ago

            This would be a little different. It’s a spike that goes through the base of the skull and then fires high-pressure air into the brain. It pretty much rips the brain to shreds instantly.

    • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      is that sleep capsule used in assisted suicide for the terminally ill in some European countries too expensive? or is it a problem because that would be too peaceful?

      when I was in my 20s I overdosed on ambien because I wanted out, but was saved because I sleep walked and passed out outside and some people who knew me helped. It was painless and all I remeber was taking the pills and nothing after.

      • Geetnerd@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        You may know the story, but Jim Jeffries (Jeff Nugent,) the Australian comedian, has (had?) a friend with Muscular Dystrophy, who died multiple times, briefly.

        When asked if there was anything beyond death, the friend said “No.”