The last breath: in or out?
- Thread starter greenberg
- Start date
Out I would imagine, seeing as the muscles that help you breath in air would cease to function.
I read somewhere a title of a book, and it was something to the effect of "A closet of last breaths", based on the notion that when a person dies, they hold their last breath and take it to God. - Which would suggest that the last breath is an inbreath, and this is what puzzled me.
Bells
Staff member
Out. They actually exhale.
And most of the time, it makes a strange sound. Actually, the 'rattling', almost guttural sound can be heard in their last few breaths. Quite a horrible sound, and one that once heard, can never be forgotten.:bawl:
watching someone or something die is a very strange experience, nothing like the movies at all.
I agree; I've been there and heard that horrible sound.
The death rattle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_rattle
A death rattle is a gurgling or rattle-like noise produced shortly before or after death by the accumulation of excessive respiratory secretions in the throat.
Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow, resulting in such an accumulation. While it is medically established that the death rattle is a strong indication that someone is near death, it can also be produced by other problems that cause interference with the swallowing reflex, for instance, brain injuries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_rattle
A death rattle is a gurgling or rattle-like noise produced shortly before or after death by the accumulation of excessive respiratory secretions in the throat.
Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow, resulting in such an accumulation. While it is medically established that the death rattle is a strong indication that someone is near death, it can also be produced by other problems that cause interference with the swallowing reflex, for instance, brain injuries.
Bells
Staff member
Yep. I heard it when my uncle passed away. He was awake and his eyes were wide open. He looked terrified actually. Was awful. He knew what was happening and so did all of us who were around his hospital bed. He was unable to move, look at anyone or even turn his eyes to look at anyone, he could not speak by that point.. but the look in his eyes.. sheer fear. As I said, was awful.
That sound, I can still hear it each time I remember that afternoon. It is hard to explain. It is one of those things that needs to be heard to be understood. Movies often try to imitate the 'death rattle', but it does not even come close. The worst part is that towards the end, they do not breath rhythmically, but can take one breath every few minutes.. until it all just stops. So each time, you think this is it and then he just gasps again and you hear that sound again and you jump.. My uncle went like that for about 15 minutes before he passed away.. Only way I can describe it is 'bloody awful'.
I've listened to it here http://faculty.etsu.edu/arnall/www/public_html/heartlung/breathsounds/contents.html
The sound there under Death Rattle is roundabout the same as the sound my father makes when he takes a nap in the afternoon. It's an odious, ghastly sound and I remember it ever since I was a child.
The sound will go on for a while, until he swallows, and then it goes again.
I had to watch that happen to my youngest child, the only difference being that she was heavily sedated. It puts things into perspective.
With regard to your original question, it suddenly occured to me that we talk of somebody expiring.
i saw my father in law take his last breath and it was out!
GeoffP funny you should say that because once a corpse comes out of rigamortis all the mussles relax and the gass has to escape. It can either come out as a fart or as a moan, and the corpse can actually sit up while this is happerning. It makes the morge an interesting place to work
D
decantemix
Guest
Depends. Put a cork in it, bag face...That's a joke.
The manner of death, can be quite complex. Lung collapse, of course, tends to void...
The manner of death, can be quite complex. Lung collapse, of course, tends to void...
Are you whistling in the dark ?
When I was a boy the father of a friend of mine was an ambulance driver. I remember being told that a game they played on novices was to juggle a corpse, causing it to emit a fart or a groan. Of course, it was just about releasing air from the cadaver.