If a person is suddenly decapitated in an accident, and there is still oxygen in their brain........?

Question

.......... are they aware of their situation, and if so, for how long before they die???

My friend said she read about a case where a woman was decapitated in a car accident and someone walked over to her head, which was now lying in the street, and she mouthed "Cigarette", and the person lit a cigarette, and put it in her mouth, and she tried to take a puff, but couldn't because she had no attached lungs any longer, and she quickly passed on.

Answer 1

In 1905 in France, a Dr. Beaurieux, experimented with the head of a condemned prisoner by the name of Henri Languille, executed on June 28. This is his account:

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.

Answer 2

Maybe, after the oxygen left the brain is the time they'll die.

Answer 3

oh, freaky.

Ask one & see if it's true.

Answer 4

In the book "Stiff" by Mary Roach, it says that executioners used to be hard to find because of that fact that the decapitated heads could still look around until about 7 seconds after the cut. After 7 seconds there is not enough oxygen to keep the brain conscious, but it still has activity in a coma like state. There have been many experiments in which doctors would take a "fresh" head and hook it up to a blood pump, but the connection would always take to long so a living head was never made. There were experiments in which dog's heads would be attached to other dog's bodies and in one case a dogs head lived for about a month on another dog's body. The scientist noted that the two heads would often playfully nip at each other. One monkey head was attached to another monkey's head as well, and it lived for years until the research facility was shut down and the monkey (s) were put to sleep.

Answer 5

Apparently not long, I suspect that a quick loss of oxygen and the shock of the trauma make for a quick end...

From the referenced link

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In a scientific effort to determine if any consciousness remained following decapitation by the guillotine, three French doctors attended the execution of Monsieur Theotime Prunier in 1879, having obtained his prior consent to be the subject of their experimentation

Immediately after the blade fell on the condemned man, the trio retrieved his head and attempted to elicit some sign of intelligent response by "shouting in his face, sticking in pins, applying ammonia under his nose, silver nitrate, and candle flames to his eyeballs." In response, they could record only that M Prunier's face "bore a look of astonishment."

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Answer 6

a decapitated person / head lives for like 8 seconds before they die