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Terrorist beheadings and other
forms of inflicted, violent death: Are victims aware of what is happening
around them after their heart and lungs have stopped working? By Dr. Anthony
G. Payne The many beheadings carried out by insurgents in This concern has a lot to do with our human capacity
to emphasize and sympathize with others, but there is an element of
“enlightened self-interest” in our curiosity and even fascination with dying
and death. When we ask “What did that poor soul experience?”, we are in some
way seeking in the death of others some idea of what we might sense or think
or visualize as we go through our own final, irreversible “systems failure”. Modern science has amassed a great deal of evidence
that the dying brain can and often does generate a wide range of images and
such, not unexpectedly reflective of individual beliefs, expectation, and
history. But what of the period immediately following cessation of heart and
lungs? For example, does the brain of a just severed head continue to
function? Consider this account tendered by a French physician
named Beaurieux who attended the state-sanctioned guillotining of a criminal
named Languille during the early morning hours of "I consider it essential for you to know that
Languille displayed an extraordinary sang-froid and even courage from the
moment when he was told, that his last hour had come, until the moment when
he walked firmly to the scaffold. It may well be, in fact, that the
conditions for observation, and consequently the phenomena, differ greatly
according to whether the condemned persons retain all their sang-froid and
are fully in control of themselves, or whether they are in such state of
physical and mental prostration that they have to be carried to the place of
execution, and are already half-dead, and as though paralyzed by the
appalling anguish of the fatal instant. "The head
fell on the severed surface of the neck and I did not therefore have to take
it up in my hands, as all the newspapers have vied with each other in
repeating; I was not obliged even to touch it in order to set it upright.
Chance served me well for the observation, which I wished to make. "Here,
then, is what I was able to note immediately after the decapitation: the
eyelids and lips of the guillotined man worked in irregularly rhythmic
contractions for about five or six seconds. This phenomenon has been remarked
by all those finding themselves in the same conditions as myself for
observing what happens after the severing of the neck... "I waited
for several seconds. The spasmodic movements ceased. The face relaxed, the
lids half closed on the eyeballs, leaving only the white of the conjunctiva
visible, exactly as in the dying whom we have occasion to see every day in
the exercise of our profession, or as in those just dead. It was then that I
called in a strong, sharp voice: "Languille!" I saw the eyelids
slowly lift up, without any spasmodic contractions – I insist advisedly on
this peculiarity – but with an even movement, quite distinct and normal, such
as happens in everyday life, with people awakened or torn from their
thoughts.
Next Languille's
eyes very definitely fixed themselves on mine and the pupils focused
themselves. I was not, then, dealing with the sort of vague dull look without
any expression, that can be observed any day in dying people to whom one
speaks: I was dealing with undeniably living eyes which were looking at me.
"After several seconds, the eyelids closed again, slowly and evenly, and
the head took on the same appearance as it had had before I called out. "It was at that point that I called out again
and, once more, without any spasm, slowly, the eyelids lifted and undeniably
living eyes fixed themselves on mine with perhaps even more penetration than
the first time. The there was a further closing of the eyelids, but now less
complete. I attempted the effect of a third call; there was no further
movement – and the eyes took on the glazed look which they have in the dead. "I have just recounted to you with
rigorous exactness what I was able to observe. The whole thing had lasted
twenty-five to thirty seconds. Was Languille conscious during those 25
to 30 seconds? I think so, for reasons that require we take at a look at the
probable brain players in consciousness itself. A Little Background The human brain
is a complex assembly of interactive biological modules (as it were) that
make it possible for us to do a myriad of things that favor our survival like
eating, drinking, getting about, making love, and… thinking (Among just a few
of its many faculties and features). When specific components of this system
shut down we sleep and dream. When certain others do so, we lose our sense of
time, space and position and can even experience disembodied states
(Out-of-body, near-death, etc.), “oneness with God, the universe, and
everything” (Mystical episodes), and similar wonders. These varying shades
and expressions of this “neural network” -- this brain-generated, emergent
faculty we call mind and consciousness – fascinates us to the point of
obsession. We all want to know how it is all this hardware in our heads comes
together to work in the way it does, as well as what kind and degree of
consciousness we muster after our brain ceases to receive life-sustaining
oxygen and glucose. For most of
human history,…in most cultures of the world… the matter of consciousness and
such was primarily if not exclusively the province of philosophers,
theologians and mystics. With the expansion and refinement of the probing,
powerfully explanatory tools and methodology of science, this
state-of-affairs shifted. We are gradually, inexorably moving closer and
closer to fathoming what was once unfathomable; to making explicable what was
once perplexing and stupefying to the point of being “magical” and
“miraculous”. Here is but a few examples of things
that have come to light through scientific exploration and testing: ·
Brain scans of people deep in prayer or meditation
have revealed activity in specific brain regions that correlate with states
that range from “enlightened insight” to awe to oceanic bliss (transcendence)
to ecstatic visions. The areas of the brain involved and the way in which
they are activated actually creates a blurring of the demarcation between
self and “not-self” that gives rise to a boundary-lessness the brain
experiences and interprets as a state of oneness with the universe. These
brain states appear normative for our species and not pathological (There are
conditions such as frontal lobe epilepsy and certain forms of schizophrenia
in which hyper-religiosity, visions, delusions and such appear, but these
manifestations are markedly different from what transpires in folks who have
no brain disease or disorder present).
·
Out-of-body experiences have been linked (in part)
to malfunctions in the angular gyrus, a part of the brain that plays an important role in the way the brain analyzes
sensory information that informs how we perceive our own bodies.
In a 2002 paper published in the prestigious journal, Nature, scientists stimulated this structure in the brain of a 43
year old woman who had an 11 year history of epileptic seizures. During
periods when electrical stimulation was applied, the woman spoke of seeing
herself "lying in bed, from
above, but I only see my legs and lower trunk.” She also described
"floating" near the ceiling above her (A distance of 72 inches or
so). ·
Near Death Experiences (NDEs) including traveling down a tunnel towards a bright
light and such have been duplicated by persons using an audio system called
the Hemi-Sync® developed by the Monroe Institute. In addition, Laurentian
University neuroscientist Michael Persinger, Ph.D. has done some pioneering
lab work that supports his contention that temporal lobe instability can
produce OBE and NDE-like episodes and that these can be set off by various
naturally occurring phenomena and events (Dying being one of them). It seems
likely that science will in the fullness of time demonstrate that all OBEs,
NDEs, mystical experiences, and such are manifestations of physiological
activity in the human brain evoked by external and internal influences and processes.
But as proving a negative such as “there is no life after death” is virtually
impossible -- and given that whatever lies well beyond brain death cannot be
probed or accessed by the tools of science -- there is a point at which
disbelief (as in “you die and that’s it”) or conversely faith in a
post-mortem existence share a level playing field. However, the
focus and concern of this foray is not what lies well beyond cessation of all
brain activity – electrical, biochemical, etc. – but rather what might be
transpiring in the 4-10 minutes or more in which the brain is oxygen and
glucose starved, is dying but yet has not reached that state of equilibrium
or inactivity that is total brain death. And more pointedly, what does the
dying brain perceive and experience, especially in the wake of having been
placed in this state by a violent, terror-filled act? Consciousness at death Despite the
fact scientists have not reached a consensus on the nature of consciousness
or the complete neurological network and its interactions that give rise to
it, we possess enough information and insight to determine various states and
degrees of consciousness, e.g., aroused and alert v. asleep, epileptic,
drugged, etc. In the context of this
minor tome, “awareness of self and what is happening to self” is a good
working definition of what it is to be conscious. This view is consistent
with what one neuroscientist has posited: “The content of consciousness, also known as
awareness, represents the sum of cognitive and affective mental functions,
and denotes the knowledge of ones existence, and the recognition of the
internal and external worlds. It has been argued that consciousness has two
dimensions: wakefulness and awareness. Awareness is the same as the content
of consciousness. Wakefulness is provided by the arousal. “Normal
conscious behavior requires both arousal and awareness. Patients in coma are
unconscious because both arousal and content of consciousness are disturbed. “According to
these important facts that show the relevance of the interaction of both
components of consciousness (arousal and awareness) to govern conscious
behavior in humans, I have recently presented a definition of human death. I
used the term capacity for consciousness as synonym for arousal. To prevent
possible nomenclature misunderstandings, it is better to use the term
arousal. Awareness is a synonym for content of consciousness. "The
irreversible loss of both components of consciousness, arousal and
awareness" From “A new
definition of death based on the basic mechanisms of consciousness generation
in human beings” by Calixto Machado, M.D., Ph.D. Head of the
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology at the http://www.changesurfer.com/BD/Papers/Calixto1.html Arousal and
awareness requires that at least 2 brain structures be fully interconnected
and up and running: The activating reticular formation and the cerebral cortex (Some researchers dispute the need for the
cerebral cortex except for planning and conscience, but for now we will posit
that both it and the activating reticular formation are needed to generate
the kind and degree of waking consciousness we would recognize as being
“fully operational”). This brings us to the big question: Do these 2
structures continue to function pretty much true-to-form following cessation
of heart and lung activity? And if they do,
for how long after death? According to Laurence Schneiderman, M.D. a
bioethicist at the http://seeingthedifference.berkeley.edu/schneiderman.html So using his statement, the cerebral cortex and
reticular activating formation can both continue to function for 4-6 minutes
before the latter deteriorates and “disengages”. So we have the potential at
least for the continued operation of the physiologic “essentials of
consciousness” in a fuel (oxygen and glucose) deprived brain – for at most 6
minutes or so. It can be argued that the cerebral cortex may indeed
be functioning following immediate cessation of blood and oxygen flow, but
not fully normally. Especially when death is sudden and traumatic. But what
are we to make of case history accounts of folks who died suddenly – car
wrecks, for example – remained clinically dead for 6 minutes or so -- were resuscitated – and who report they had
cogent thought patterns and a level of awareness that did not differ greatly
from normal day-to-day life? This alone suggests that the cerebral cortex
functions in a normal fashion for 4-6 minutes or so following clinical death.
Coming full
circle: Are those who decapitated by terrorists aware of the murderous act
being inflicted on them, as well as what takes place thereafter? Given the fact the reticular activating system and
cerebral cortex function in an apparently normal fashion until lack of oxygen
disengages the latter (6 minutes or so after clinical death), it isn’t difficult
to surmise (however tentatively) that people subjected to murderous deaths –
be it by hanging, gassing, decapitation, etc. -- are conscious of most if not
all that is taking place (Again, at least up to 6 minutes of so following
clinical death). Unless, that is, the crucial brain structures involved in
generating consciousness are obliterated by the violent act – a bullet sent
careening through consciousness-vital neurological structures, for example –
or by administration of drugs or other compounds that suppress the function
of one or more of these physiologic areas prior to clinical death. This line of reasoning suggests that those poor
souls who were decapitated by terrorists in If there is any consolation in these outrageous acts
of barbarism, it is this: Physicians who’ve examined the videotapes of the
various decapitations carried out by Iraqi terrorists have noted physical
reactions during the act that suggest the victims might have been given
strong drink or such prior to their gruesome dispatch. If so, then it is
conceivable that those “under the influence” during and immediately following
their execution were not fully conscious. If true, then perhaps this plus the
disorientation that arose from severing the connections of brain and body
contributed to an oceanic state of sorts; a spaceless, timeless, even
ethereal state that at least partially blocked out the events transpiring and
the words and actions of their tormentors and executors. Until we know
different, this is a reasonable, comforting, hopeful stance to take. A final thought Those who decapitate non-combatants in wartime are
criminals, plain and simple. If these terrorists do drug their victims prior
to dispatching them, it does not excuse or mitigate their criminal
culpability or their lack of humanity. But it might in some way console the
victim’s family and such – which would constitute a tiny decency in the midst
of a malignant indecency. But what of state-sanctioned executions? Can our
brief foray into the nature of consciousness at and immediately following
death help inform this aspect of national policy? I think it can. Whether one believes that state-sanctioned
executions are ethically or morally right – or not* – it is a legal recourse that prevails in many states and
countries and apparently will do so for some time to come. In light of what we know and can conjecture
concerning the nature of consciousness at death and afterwards, executions
that involve obliterating consciousness prior to lethal act would seem more
humane than those that do not. As such, the use of drugs which render
prisoners unconscious prior to the administration of lethal drugs or such are
probably sparring them undue suffering and anguish. It is a kindness –
however convoluted or oxymoronic the whole concept of “humane execution”
itself may be. Therefore, of all the forms of state ordained
execution that are practiced in the world today, drug-induced unconsciousness
followed by administration of a lethal chemical cocktail may be the most kind
in terms of mitigating the fear, anguish, and sheer terror of an
intentionally, methodically inflicted death. It strikes me as about the most
decent thing we can do under the circumstances; that is, until we can summon
up the decency to do better. * I do not - based on a conclusion I
reached as a boy: The state should
never take from a citizen what it cannot later restore. If this were universal and fully enforced
by the member nations of the world community, state-sanctioned genocide and
such would seldom if ever occur. © 2005 by Dr. Anthony G. Payne. All rights reserved. Dr.
Payne can be reached by e-mail at biotheoretician@gmail.com
To learn more For more on the
history and folklore surrounding the guillotine: http://www.usd.edu/~jbulman/the_guillotine.htm To learn about
the Monroe Institute’s Hemi-Sync® audio system : http://www.healingproducts.com/monroe.htm (Dr. Payne has
no commercial or other interest in this company or device) Neuroanatomy of
the Brain Stem Reticular Formation: http://www.anatomy.dal.ca/Human_Neuroanatomy/handout%20gifs/Reticular%20formation.html This website
looks at NDEs as representing more than a manifestation of a dying or
otherwise dysfunctional brain: http://www.near-death.com/experiences/research08.html |