Does the head remain briefly conscious after decapitation (revisited)?
Dear Cecil: In the answer about the guillotine in your online archive, you say that “the fatal blow induces immediate unconsciousness.” In actuality, the human head does remain conscious fifteen to twenty seconds after decapitation. This was proven when a scientist condemned to the guillotine in the 1700s told his assistant to watch and that he would blink as many times as he could. The assistant counted fifteen to twenty blinks after the head was severed, the blinks coming at intervals of about one second. So the head does remain briefly alive. — Joel Brusk, via AOL Dear Joel: Let’s see. Over the years we’ve covered crucifixion, kidney theft, and now a second helping of decapitation. What next, you ask — how to perform your own spinal tap? But bear with me. New facts have come to light. A lot of people disputed my claim that victims of the guillotine blacked out immediately. Many had seen a TV show on the Discovery Channel called “The Guillotine” in which a medical expert tells the st
