The Guillotine

 

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The history of the guillotine

 

-               The guillotine was used long before the French Revolution but one does not know when and where it was used.

-               Similar machines were found in Scotland, England, Germany and Italy

-               1307 there was the first real evidence found that such a thing really existed

-               A precursor called Halifax Gibbet was earlier used in England. There were executions at the markets.

-               1789 Dr. Guillotine submitted a proposition that death, without the presence of torture and by means of decapitation should become the standard form of capital punishment in France.

-               Assembly approved a text providing: persons condemned to death should get their head served.

-               11.4.1792 the first guillotine was set up. It stood at the Cour de Commerce, rue Saint André-des-arts. But it was only tested on sheep.

-               A few days later it was used at dead humans bodies’. They were beheaded successfully.

-               25.4.1792 Nicolas-Jaques Pelletier was executed by the guillotine.

-               Then some changes were made and improvements concerning the guillotine. And it was installed at the Place du Carroussel for 1 year.

-               1793 King Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed.

-               1870-1977 it was permanentely improved and used.

-                10.9.1977 there was the last official use of the guillotine.

 

Joseph-Ignace Guillotine

 

-               He was born 1738 and died 1814 in France

-               He was physician and one of the founders of the French Academy of Medicine.

-               He did not invent the guillotine nor did he meet his death by it.

-               As a deputy for state general he wanted a machine for capital punishment which would kill as quickly and painlessly as possible. He recommended this machine.

-               Antoine Louis, a secretary of the academy of surgeons, and Schmid, a mechanic, invented and constructed the guillotine.

 

Construction

 

-         guillotine was made of wood.

-         It was 4 meters high

-         The distance between the uprights was 40 centimeters

-         A device on the side of the uprights was used to maintain the blade in position and to release it.

-         Soon the wood was replaced by metal.

-         The bascule was short of teeterboard, against which the condemned was pushed. In horizontal position it was pushed forward so that the neck was placed in the lunette. The lunette was closed and the blade was released.

 

 

The cause of death

 

The Person guillotined becomes unconscious very quickly and dies from shock and anoxia and loss of blood pressure within less than 60 seconds. The eyes and mouths of the beheaded people often show some signs of movement that’s because the brain has enough oxygen stored for metabolism for about 7 seconds after the head was cut off. And the heart also beats for some time after decapitation.

 

Nora and Ann

 

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