A Recent Experiment Suggests Human Consciousness Persists Even After Decapitation…
Historically, beheading has been considered one of the harshest punishments for criminals. Due to its brutal nature, this method of execution has been abolished worldwide.
Nevertheless, the mention of beheading instills fear in most of us. Interestingly, scientists are highly curious and eager to explore this phenomenon. Their goal is to understand whether a person retains consciousness and awareness after decapitation. Let’s delve into this intriguing topic through the following article.
From Historical Anomalies…
Under ordinary assumptions, when the head is severed from the body, the brain loses its blood supply, leading to the end of life. At that moment, there are no emotions, no sensations, no consciousness… we would no longer perceive or be aware of anything.
However, historical records document several peculiar cases where individuals reportedly opened their eyes and exhibited anger after decapitation. These stories have inspired scientists to further investigate this phenomenon.
The first two recorded cases of post-decapitation responses are Queen Anne Boleyn (1501 – 1536) and King Charles I (1625 – 1649) of England. These cases are quite rare because they were executed by sword and axe rather than by guillotine.
Portrait of Queen Anne Boleyn
…and her death
According to many scientists, before the invention of the guillotine, decapitation by sword or axe often required multiple strikes to be successful. Therefore, it was not uncommon for a person to retain some awareness before their head was completely severed.
However, the cases of Queen Anne Boleyn and King Charles I were different. Remarkably, both were able to attempt to speak immediately after their heads were severed on the first strike.
Portrait of King Charles I of England
…and the image of him being beheaded
By the 18th century, the invention of the guillotine in France, widely adopted after the French Revolution, improved execution methods. With a typical weight exceeding 80 kg and a blade dropping from a height of 4.3 meters, no prisoner could survive the fall of the guillotine blade. Yet, remarkably, there were still individuals who “lived” after their heads were severed.
Portrait of Charlotte Corday when imprisoned…
A notable example is Charlotte Corday, a famous girl in France after the French Revolution. She was sentenced to death and executed by guillotine in 1793 for the assassination of the prominent leader Jean-Paul Marat.
At the execution site, after the guillotine blade fell, a carpenter named Legros, unable to contain his anger, approached, picked up Charlotte’s head, and slapped her cheek. Amazingly, witnesses reported that the face of the female assassin contorted, displaying an expression of fury at the carpenter’s action.
…and an image of Charlotte before her execution by guillotine
In 1795, according to the report by German doctor Sommering, a decapitated victim even ground their teeth upon seeing a doctor poke their finger into their anus. At that moment, the victim’s head was “severed from the body.”
Finally, the most famous case remains that of the criminal Henri Languille. After his execution, Henri’s eyes remained wide open, and he called out the executioner’s name for 25-30 seconds.
…to Scientific Hypotheses…
Scientists have devoted considerable time and effort to studying these phenomena in hopes of answering the question: “Does a person retain consciousness after decapitation?” A group of experts conducted an experiment in 2011 at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands to find an answer.
In this experiment, they attached an electroencephalogram (EEG) to the heads of laboratory mice. After decapitating them, they measured the brain waves of the severed heads. The results indicated that within approximately 4 seconds, the brain waves of the mice persisted at a frequency of 13-100Hz. This frequency suggests that during those 4 seconds, the mice’s brains were still conscious and aware.
Using extrapolation methods, the group of experts concluded that this phenomenon might also exist in humans. After decapitation, for a few seconds, the brain could continue functioning due to the blood still present in the head. It is only when the blood supply to the brain ceases that a person truly dies, losing all perception and consciousness.
