bodily functions

[tali122]

is it true that during execution or murder, victims lose all bodily functions?

[andy-hughes]

I believe it is a common reflex action to the severe stress conveyed to the brain.

[dzug]

Losing all bodily functions is a definition of death, so trivially, yes.

[josaphine32]

on any person or animal when you die your muscles relax so whatever there you have within you expels automaticly,

[Clanad]

I think I'd like to disagree. I've been in attendance at lots of human as well as animal deaths. In the case of animals some of the deaths, as the result of gunshot wounds from hunting, have been violent, that is sudden with some trauma. I've yet to see such loss of bodily contents. If you think about it, we've all seen sead animals and perhaps pictures of dead people in the stages of decomposition where the gases within the body have bloated the body. This wouldn't happen if the gasses were allowed to escape. I'm sure there are cases where this can happen, but not usually. Whether an old wives tale or not, public hangings of criminals used to be well attended since it was believed that the trauma of the broken spinal column at the 3rd and 4th cervical vertebrae produced an erection. Many well reported witnesses of hangings fail to support this phenomena. Reports of hangings that use only the "short drop" method where death is the result of stangulation can cause loss of bodily funtions, as reported in middle eastern countries that use thismethod...

[mightyWBA]

yuk!

[tali122]

ijust thought that i watch a lot of forensic documentaries which go into graphic details -NEVER once has there been mention of body fluid loss- surely this would be vital evidence anyway -so why no mention?

[Grunty]

Following on from Clanad's answer, I have seen evidence of ejaculation on the body of a man who had hanged himself. This detail was later deleted from my report by someone whose delicate nature overruled his quest for detail. I have heard of people strangling themselves to increase their sense of 'pleasure', but have no idea whether that would be connected. Personally I am old fashioned enough to prefer women.

[rojash]

It seems to me that dzug is the only one who actually answered the question as asked.

[moon_unit]

there was an episode of Six Feet Under where the man was collecting a body, and the body expelled solid waste whilst in the back of the hearse.