What were the advantages and disadvantages of the guillotine?

Answer 1

The guillotine was not, as most people think, invented by dr. Guillotin during the French Revolution. It was invented (under another name) in Halifax, England some 500 years earlier and the Scots had been using it for ages since then for executions. Dr. Guillotin was a humane man who was revolted by the suffering of the many victims of botched exexution jobs by executioners who hardly knew how to work a heavy ax or big sword and who often were the worse for drink, hacking away at the victim's neck and thereabouts. Hanging also caused much suffering since it did not break the neck but caused the victim to struggle for breath for up to 5 or (if they were lightweight) 10 minutes before they finally choked to death.

Compared with those common forms of execution, the guillotine had only advantages, and dr. Guillotin knew it. It worked quickly and cleanly, giving the victim no time to feel any sense of pain. The human factor with all its mistakes, clumsiness and sometimes sheer sadism was taken out. The weight of the knife combined with its slant made sure that it always did the job quickly; and in a way, humanely.

That is why dr. Guillotin proposed this contraption instead of hanging or decapitation by an executioner. He was shocked to discover somewhat later that people started to name the contraption after him. His descendants have during the 19th century repeatedly petitioned the French government to rename it, but without result.

The disadvantages were technically speaking, none if before use the proper working was tested.