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For people, this means nearly instantaneous death. Decapitation using an ax (and later the French invention, the guillotine) has been a method of execution since ancient times. The Japanese culture is unique in that it regards beheading as an honorable death, as for warriors, under the bushido code.

For lower animals not as dependent on their brains, life functions other than eating may continue for some time after the removal of the head. Roaches, in particular, are noted for surviving for days or weeks.

In one famous case in 1945, a rooster named Mike lived for 18 months following the removal of most of his head. Scientists suspected that his brain stem (which controls involuntary reflexes such as breathing) was not cut away, and he was sustained on a liquid diet by his owner.

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14y ago

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