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From: mason3@husc9.harvard.edu (Richard Mason)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Surviving Electrocution
Message-ID: <1991Apr12.212721.519@husc3.harvard.edu>
Date: 13 Apr 91 01:27:19 GMT
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Organization: Harvard University Science Center
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Nntp-Posting-Host: husc9.harvard.edu

I have two questions regarding electrocution:

1) Would it be possible to send a large electrical current through a human
   being or other animal and have them survive without permanent damage?

   The rules are: ANY amount of medical/chemical/surgical/biological work
   (preparation before the shock, treatment during or immediately afterwards)
   on the subject is permissible, providing it invokes only current or
   probably realizable technology.  Very long recuperation time is a minus,
   but not absolutely disallowed.  The current will only be turned on for
   a short time (on the order of a few seconds) and other factors (e.g.
   voltage) are not important except as necessary to maintain a high current.

   On the other hand, the current must pass through the tissues of the
   subject, so such tricks as surgically implanting conductors to draw
   away the current, bypass the heart, etc. are disallowed.

2) How non-uniform is the resistivity of animal (human) tissue?  Is there
   any way to make the resistivity more uniform, or otherwise to ensure
   that the current in part (1) is roughly uniform throughout the body?

   The same rules as for part (1) apply.

If anybody answers (especially with positives), I'll tell you why I want
to know.  (Perhaps you can guess.)
-- 
"These things are pure science fiction! And yet they are all true."
                                              -M.O. Rabin
===================================================================
Richard Mason | mason3@husc9.harvard.edu | All opinions are my own.