The longest death. In a state of clinical death, a person meets deceased relatives, angels, God and other exotic creatures

Death is something that no one has ever been able to avoid. All living things die sooner or later, the only difference is in the circumstances.

Many people believe that the most terrible phenomenon is death itself. But the pages of human history tell us that the death throes can be much more terrible than death itself. To convince you of this, we suggest reading a selection of the most terrible and painful deaths in history.

The most painful human deaths in history

Death of Joram

The Bible is full of stories not only about love and kindness, but also about justice, which is often cruel. One of these is the parable of Jehoram. According to legend, he was once the ruler of Judea and considered Beelzebub the main deity, which aroused the wrath of Yahweh. Joram was severely punished: he was struck by a strange disease, from which his flesh began to decay from the inside. Before he died, the king suffered for 2 years.

How Herod was punished

Another biblical horror story is dedicated to King Herod, who ruled Caesarea in Palestine. The name of Herod is well known to everyone who has read the New Testament - it was he who, having learned about the impending birth of the true king of Judea, ordered the destruction of all the newborns of Bethlehem. Subsequently, he organized the persecution of the first Christians, executed John the Baptist and the Apostle James. The Bible lists Herod's cause of death as being eaten alive by worms.

Murder of Grigory Rasputin

Many close to the court were wary of the mysterious friend of Nicholas II - there were rumors that Rasputin was an insidious sorcerer associated with black magic. Less superstitious courtiers saw him as a dangerous political rival who had too much influence on the emperor.

On December 29, 1916, Prince Felix Yusupov invited Rasputin to dinner, during which he treated the guest to poisoned wine. The poison did not work, then the conspirators, the prince and his accomplice Vladimir Purishkevich, shot him in the back.

The killers thought that Gregory was dead and carried him out of the palace. But he unexpectedly not only showed signs of life, but also began to strangle one of the conspirators. Then another bullet was fired at Rasputin, but after that he did not die, but tried to escape. They caught up with him, beat him, and then threw him, still alive, into the icy waters of the Moika.

In total, three wounds were found on the body of the dead favorite of the emperor, all fatal: in the head, kidney and liver.

61 days of nightmares by Hiro Syauchi

In 1999, Japanese man Hiro Shauchi received a huge dose of radiation while performing his work duties at a plant where nuclear fuel was processed. The next two months after the accident became a real nightmare for Hiro.

On the 45th day, the skin completely peeled off Syauti’s flesh, after which the internal organs began to rapidly deteriorate. On the 59th day, his heart failed three times in a row. Doctors managed to pump him out until the 61st day arrived, which brought Syauti the long-awaited deliverance. Willy-nilly, you will think about legalizing euthanasia.

The Tragedy of Deborah Gayle Stone

Many people are afraid of rides, and for good reason. Ignoring safety rules often leads to disastrous consequences.

In 1974, American Disneyland delighted visitors with a new attraction - the “America Sings” attraction. This was one of the first entertainments using animatronics, in other words, singing and dancing robots.

The attraction created a sensation: from the first minutes of the working day until the park closed, dozens of people crowded around the robots. But for some reason these “electronics” frightened 18-year-old Disneyland employee Deborah Stone - she could not explain the reason for her strange phobia, but every time she ran past them, she felt uneasy.

And as luck would have it, she was appointed the caretaker of this attraction! And so, before the start of the next performance, she was instructed to check the rotating mechanism. The girl got stuck in the hole, and then the show began. The robots began to sing, the stage began to rotate, and the girl found herself ground into bloody pieces between the rotating part and the stationary concrete wall. While she uttered inhuman screams of pain, visitors thought it was part of the performance.

David Kirwan and the thermal springs

In 1981, David Kirwan was walking through Yellowstone National Park with his bosom friend and his dog. The purpose of the visit was typical - the young people wanted to see the beauty of the thermal springs for which this beautiful reserve is famous.

Everything was going well until the pet, breaking off the leash, jumped into the water. David decided to save his friend's dog and went into the pool, instantly realizing what a stupid thing he had done.

A small note: Yellowstone is at the same time one of the most beautiful and dangerous places on our planet. Prohibition signs are posted throughout the park - going down to the natural pools may be the last thing an unlucky visitor to Yellowstone will do in his life. The fact is that in some springs in the park, the water temperature can reach up to 121 degrees Celsius and have extremely high acidity.

With difficulty, David got out of the water, receiving a burn on 90% of the surface of his body. When the owner of the dog, whose body never surfaced, took off the shoes of the scalded rescuer, pieces of the skin were torn off along with them. The next day, David died from painful shock.

Execution of György Dozsa

The Inquisition, wars, and diseases left a terrible mark on the history of the Middle Ages. There were many terrible deaths at that time, but the mention of one of them still makes the blood run cold. We are talking about the execution of György Dozsa.

Gyorgy Dozsa led a peasant uprising in Hungary. It was quickly suppressed, after which its wounded leader was captured by the government. So that other peasants would no longer have the thought of rebelling against the feudal lords, the most severe execution was invented for Gyorgy Dozsa.

The leader of the uprising wanted to become king of Hungary. To cause him not only physical pain, but also to ridicule his hopes, György was seated on a metal throne with a hearth hidden inside, handing him a scepter and an orb that were as hot as the seat. A red-hot crown was placed on the head of the leader of the uprising.

Then Brother György and those who took part in the riot with him were brought into the hall. The brother was publicly cut into pieces, and like-minded rebels suffering from a long hunger strike were forced to bite off the flesh of the still living Doji in a circle. “Eat it whole and you will live,” they were promised. Everyone who refused to eat human flesh was killed. Those who agreed to cannibalism too, but only after Dozha was eaten.

The Torment of Junku Furuta

Human cruelty towards one's own kind often knows no bounds. And, unfortunately, references to terrible torture and murder are not only associated with the Middle Ages.

In 1988, 17-year-old Japanese girl Junka Furuta was kidnapped by a group of sadistic minors: Hiroshi Miyano, Jo Ogura, Shinji Minato and Yasushi Watanabe. They held the girl captive for 44 days in the house of one of the gang members.

Miyano's parents were big shots in the Japanese Yakuza mafia, so it was not difficult for the young man to intimidate the girl and his own friends. Under threat of death, she called her parents and told them that she was fine so that the police would not look for her.

On the very first day of her captivity, she was raped repeatedly, forced to eat insects and drink urine, smoldering cigarettes were stuck into her flesh and the girl was set on fire with a lighter.

On the eleventh day, her limbs were broken and she was hung from the ceiling, using the girl’s body as a punching bag. She tried to escape, but the escape failed, for which her legs were doused with firelighting fluid and set on fire. Furuta was then tortured by having a broken bottle inserted into his anus.

On the twentieth day, firecrackers were shoved into the girl, and then red-hot knitting needles.

A month of imprisonment passed, and the bored rapists came up with new methods of torture. The unfortunate Japanese woman was doused with hot wax on her face, her breasts were pierced with needles, her nipples were pinched in a vice, while at the same time they stuck a light bulb inside the girl.

On the forty-fourth day, Junku Furuta died from painful shock after two hours of torture by fire. The next day, the teenagers cemented the girl's body in a barrel and threw it away at a construction site.

The police managed to find the body and the killers. But the punishment did not correspond to the crime - the attackers were sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 4 to 17 years, depending on the degree of guilt. According to the law on the protection of the rights of minors, their names were not publicly disclosed. Hiroshi Miyano, the leader of a sadistic gang, was released in 2007.

Fatal Christmas

On Christmas Eve 2002, 25-year-old bartender Doyle decided to celebrate the holiday with his friend Michael Wright and his girlfriend. In an alcoholic fervor, Wright thought that Doyle was pestering his girlfriend and beat the poor man. He broke the bartender's legs and threw him into an open hatch. The distance to the bottom was about 5.5 meters.

Wright wanted to scare Doyle, but did not suspect that the bottom of the sewer was flooded with boiling water from a broken pipe. The bartender fell into boiling water with a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius, and his injuries prevented him from getting out. He was still alive when help arrived, but neither firefighters nor paramedics dared to go down.

Having opened the guy's body, doctors noted that he looked like a lobster cooked by a chef - the internal organs were boiled, and the skin came off the bones. The worst thing is that while his body was being boiled alive, Doyle remained conscious.
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Recently, a unique medical case occurred in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China: as a result of a heart attack, a 44-year-old man was in a state of clinical death for 50 minutes, but then the heart “worked” again thanks to effective measures taken by doctors.

According to the Xinhua agency, this event, which can be considered a miracle, occurred in the city of Urumqi. On July 27, during a routine medical examination, the patient suddenly lost consciousness, then he showed signs of death: cardiac and respiratory arrest, as well as mydriasis (dilated pupils). Doctors immediately began providing him with emergency care.

Thanks to their efforts, after 50 minutes the patient again showed signs of restoration of the heart and respiratory organs, but he was still unconscious.

According to doctors, although the patient was saved, most likely he will meet the fate of a “plant man” due to the stoppage of the heart and respiratory organs for too long. However, another miracle happened the next day - the patient regained consciousness. Now the lucky person's condition is stable.

Let us remember that clinical death is the last stage of dying. According to the definition of Academician V.A. Negovsky, “clinical death is no longer life, but is not yet death. This is the emergence of a new quality - a break in continuity. In a biological sense, this state resembles suspended animation, although it is not identical to this concept.”

Clinical death is a reversible condition and the mere fact of cessation of breathing or blood circulation is not proof of death. Signs of clinical death include: lack of breathing, lack of heartbeat, generalized pallor or generalized cyanosis, and lack of pupillary response to light.

The duration of clinical death is determined by the period during which the higher parts of the brain (subcortex and especially the cortex) are able to maintain viability in the absence of oxygen. The first period of clinical death lasts only 5-6 minutes. This is the time during which the higher parts of the brain retain their viability in the absence of oxygen supply.

All world practice shows that if this period is exceeded, people can be revived, but the result is partial brain dysfunction or complete brain failure.

But there may be a second term of clinical death that doctors have to deal with when providing care or in special conditions. The second period of clinical death can last tens of minutes and resuscitation measures will be very effective. The second period of clinical death is observed when special conditions are created to slow down the processes of degeneration of the higher parts of the brain with insufficient oxygen supply.

The term “clinical death” appeared when doctors realized that after cardiac arrest they had another 3-5 minutes to bring the patient back from the dead. The patient has no blood circulation and reflexes at this moment, but cellular metabolism continues anaerobically. If the doctors manage to restore the supply of oxygen to at least the brain before the body's reserves are depleted, then it may retain all its functions, and you will pull through.

There is little hope though. The US National Institute of Neurological and Communication Disorders analyzed statistics from 9 of the country's largest hospitals: 91% of patients who received resuscitation still died. Of those who returned to us, 4% “had disorders of higher nervous activity and required outside care.” And only 5% recovered completely. We perceive these people as messengers from the other world. And they take full advantage of it. Many of those who were reanimated subsequently say that while dead they flew through dark tunnels towards the light, met with divine beings and beloved (deceased) relatives, watched their revival from the sidelines and, in general, felt great.

A man hears doctors pronouncing his death

The cerebral cortex - the same one that is responsible for controlling mental processes (consciousness, memory, thinking) - is already turned off, like a computer from which the cord has been pulled out. And the person continues to hear and realize what he heard. What other evidence is needed to confirm that we have an immaterial soul and the possibility of consciousness existing separately from the brain?

In fact, “Some areas of the cerebral hemispheres - for example, the cortical part of the auditory analyzer - resist oxygen deficiency longer than others. So, in the process of shutting down the brain, complete hearing loss occurs a few seconds later than, for example, turning off the centers of motor activity,” explains Lev Gerasimov, head of the laboratory “Life Support Technologies for Critical Conditions” at the Research Institute of General Reanimatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. According to international standards, a doctor should spend no more than 8–10 seconds to ascertain clinical death, because every moment is precious here. If there is loss of consciousness and cessation of breathing, the doctor must begin resuscitation. It is quite possible that he will pronounce “clinical death” out loud even before your consciousness completely fades away.

It seems to a person that he is falling or, conversely, flying up a dark tunnel towards the light

This plot is one of the most common in memories of clinical death. Supporters of the supernatural consider this tunnel to be a gateway between the world of the living and the dead.

In fact, “The brain generates images of the afterlife in the same way as hallucinations or dreams. But this does not happen in a state of clinical death, but in the moments immediately before its onset and immediately after successful resuscitation - when the brain works in “emergency mode” with malfunctions due to oxygen deficiency,” Lev Gerasimov continues to patiently dispel the myths. And it is not surprising that large-scale hallucinations, which the patient feels can last many hours, actually take only a couple of seconds. Check it out the next night: you can survive several days in REM sleep just by turning from side to side.

Now about the tunnel through which the deceased flies towards the light. The occipital cortex, which is responsible for our vision, can generate images without even receiving nerve signals from the eyes. In the process of extinction, a person first stops receiving a real “picture”, and then the cortical analyzer stops working. And he does this gradually. The tissues in the periphery are the first to experience oxygen deficiency, the last are the poles of the occipital lobes. During this process, the virtual “field of vision” (remember, the eyes no longer see, but the brain still produces the picture) narrows until only central or, as it is also called, “tubular” vision remains. And at this moment, due to lack of oxygen, the vestibular analyzer ceases to adequately perceive information about the position of the body, and it seems to the person that he is moving - for example, flying.

In the next world, a person will experience peace and freedom from earthly worries, because in a state of clinical death a person experiences precisely such sensations

American doctor and psychotherapist Raymond Moody, in his book “Life After Life” (see reference below), quotes the words of a man who returned “from the other world”: “At the moment of injury, I felt a sudden pain, but then the pain disappeared... I felt warm and It’s more pleasant than ever.”

In fact, from the point of view of modern medicine, Nothing awaits you in the next world. And peace during dying is a temporary state. In response to critical situations, your body usually releases a dose of endorphins into the blood so that you do not experience overwhelming stress (for example, due to pain) and continue to fight to the end. Clinical death takes 2nd place in the ranking of the most dangerous adventures of your body (biological death is in first place). Therefore, before completely switching off, your brain literally floods itself with the “happiness hormone”, which causes pleasant sensations. In addition, medications that are administered to the patient during the post-resuscitation period can cause a joyful feeling. Many of these substances are quite suitable for dancing in discos.

Behind the gravestone

The topic of near-death experiences was popularized by the American physician and psychotherapist Raymond Moody. In 1975, he published the book “Life After Life,” which contained an analysis of the metaphysical adventures of 150 people who successfully survived clinical death. Moody compiled a list of typical sensations of the temporarily dead - such as the separation of consciousness from the body or meeting with dearly beloved relatives (at first there were 9 points on the list, in 1977 Moody expanded it to 15 points).

Moody did not make any scientific conclusions in his works (3 books were published in multi-million copies). However, in a recent interview, the doctor literally stated the following: “Having interviewed more than a thousand people... and constantly encountering the same stunning and unusual episodes in their stories, I am ready to say that life after death most likely exists. In fact, now I have absolutely no doubt that my interlocutors were able to cast a fleeting glance at what is beyond our world.”

In a state of clinical death, consciousness leaves the physical shell

In the stories of those who have gone “on the other side,” the following plot is often found: they seem to soar above their body and watch from the side as they are revived. At the same time, a person is not tied to his mortal coil and can move, for example, around a hospital building.

In fact, Sam Pernia, a resuscitator at the University of Southampton (UK), conducted an experiment. He placed vivid, evocative images in intensive care units that can only be seen if you look down from the ceiling. But none of the patients who experienced clinical death in these rooms and talked about the exit of consciousness from the physical body saw these drawings. It turns out that this is also a hallucination?

In a state of clinical death, a person meets deceased relatives, angels, God and other exotic creatures

In 2008, American neurosurgeon Eben Alexander was hospitalized with a diagnosis of infectious meningitis. After lying in a coma for a week, Eben came to his senses and began telling everyone about the unforgettable experience of traveling through the afterlife. Alexander moved through the next world on the wing of a huge butterfly, accompanied by a woman with high cheekbones and beautiful blue eyes. The neurosurgeon, of course, communicated with his companion through telepathy. Impressed by these experiences, Alexander wrote the book “Proof of Heaven,” which immediately became a bestseller.

In fact, in a coma, the central nervous system does not turn off completely: the person retains reflexes, and some areas of the cerebral cortex can operate. So, from the point of view of science, it was not death - Alexander was more “here” than “there”. Los Angeles neurologist Sam Harris suggested that Alexander, while in a coma, was exposed to endogenous dimethyltryptamine (DMT). According to one theory, in the borderline state between life and death, the body produces in industrial quantities not only endorphins, but also this alkaloid - again, to reduce stress levels. DMT puts a person into a special mystical state (the so-called entheogenic state, which translates as “becoming divine from within”), accompanied by powerful auditory and visual hallucinations. South American shamans, for example, use DMT in the drink ayahuasca to communicate with spirits. So Alexander was lucky.

Degree steals

At normal human body temperature (36.5ºC), clinical death lasts 3–5 minutes, depending on the individual characteristics of the body. Then comes biological death. However, under special conditions (during cooling of the body, electric shock, heating), the intermediate state between life and complete destruction may be delayed. For example, a decrease in body temperature by 3ºC gives resuscitators a full 10 minutes to work from the moment the patient’s heart stops. And in 2008, North American resuscitators revived an 82-year-old man who froze on the street to a body temperature of 26ºC. He spent more than 2 hours in a state of clinical death.

People who have experienced clinical death share similar memories, and this proves the reality of the afterlife

Light at the end of the tunnel. A being made of light and love. Adventures of consciousness moving separately from the physical body. This is supposedly what any intensive care patient faces, regardless of gender, age, social status, education or nationality. This is considered to be the most compelling argument in favor of the reality of conscious existence after death.

In fact, most studies of near-death experiences have been and are being conducted by Western scientists. It is clear that they are studying their compatriots, who were brought up in the traditions of one of the Abrahamic religions and share Western cultural values ​​- this is probably why their near-death experiences coincide. And, for example, in Bhavana Vissudhikunavot’s book “Vipassana Meets Consciousness,” a resident of Thailand describes what happened to her after cardiac arrest in a different way: “I felt tired and left the hut. Standing under a coconut tree, I felt a deep sense of beauty. Then I saw the road and followed it. Suddenly I saw two people. These were the servants of the Lord of the Dead, Yama. One of them said that now they would take me to hell. I asked to be allowed to go home to warn my family. When I entered, there were many people in my hut who were crying. Then I tripped, fell and came back to life.” And no, mind you, angels with trumpets.

Personal experience

We found a man who agreed to tell you what he saw and heard when he was dying.

Alexander Sobolev. 38 years old, entrepreneur (Moscow):

I experienced a state of clinical death when I studied at the Ryazan airborne school. My platoon took part in reconnaissance group competitions. This is a 3-day survival marathon with extreme physical exertion (no sleep and virtually no rest), which ends with a 10-kilometer forced march in full gear. I didn’t approach this last stage in the best shape: the day before I had cut my foot open with some snag while crossing the river, we were constantly on the move, my leg hurt a lot, the bandage came off, the bleeding started again, and I had a fever. But I ran almost the entire 10 km, and I still don’t understand how I did it, and I don’t remember well. A few hundred meters before the finish line, I passed out, and my comrades carried me there in their arms (by the way, they counted my participation in the competition). The doctor diagnosed “acute heart failure” and began to revive me. I have the following memories of that period when I was in a state of clinical death: I not only heard what those around me were saying, but also observed what was happening from the outside. I saw how something was injected into my heart area, I saw how a defibrillator was used to revive me. Moreover, in my mind the picture was like this: my body and the doctors are on the stadium field, and my loved ones are sitting in the stands and watching what is happening. In addition, it seemed to me that I could control the resuscitation process. There was a moment when I was tired of lying around, and I immediately heard the doctor say that I had a pulse. Then I thought: now there will be a general formation, everyone will be tense, but I have deceived everyone and can lie down - and the doctor shouted that my heart had stopped again. In the end I decided to return. I will add that I did not feel fear when I watched how they revived me, and in general, I did not treat this situation as a matter of life and death. It seemed to me that everything was in order, life was going on as usual.