If a person is decapitated, are they alive for a few moments?

Question

Do they watch their head fall?

Answer 1

They can't WATCH their head fall, their eyes are in their head. They can see the ground moving closer to their face though. Even thought the person may be able to see it, it doesn't necessarily mean the fact will register and create a reaction or knowledge of death.

There's a segment about this in my bio psych book. Once the spinal cord is severed, it's all over. The body and the face will spasm, that is the product of the final few neurons sparking off in the last few seconds of life. As for the "life in the eyes" after decapitation, it does take a few seconds to a few minutes before the glazed look sets in. Again, that's because the neurons are firing off, attempting to prevent the thing that is causing the adrenalin rush, and then a few seconds of them trying to repair the damage done to the body. There is no "life" left (meaning you are no longer YOU) it's just the operations of your body fighting very briefly, then shutting down.

Answer 2

I do remember reading something about this ....something regarding a man of science who was beheaded back in the days of yore when that kind of punishment was common place.  

the man who was to be beheaded has his assistant watch his face after he was beheaded and the man who was beheaded was going to blink his eyes as many times as he could while the assistant counted.

I believe the assistant counted six blinks of the eyes after the decapitation.

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    It seems there are several stories about the blinking eyelids and experiments have actually gone on through 1956 (amazing)

    below is an excerpt from Wikipedia

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/guillotine....

    The following report was written by a Dr. Beaurieux, who experimented with the head of a condemned prisoner by the name of Henri Languille, on June 28, 1905:

    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. [...] 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[...].

    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. Then 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.[9]