From: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!sun!megatest!fortune!dsd!atd!avsdS:avsdT:wcl
Newsgroups: net.suicide
Title: Re: Ways and Means (Anoxia as a form of painless suicide)
Article-I.D.: avsdT.402
Posted: Mon Mar 28 18:06:10 1983
Received: Wed Mar 30 02:28:52 1983

As crimson!tombl asked:

	...it is possible for one to pass out from lack
	of oxygen without feeling the need to breathe.

	This, of course, is a textbook explanation. If anyone is kind
	enough to conduct some empirical research, please post your results
	to the net.

The easiest way to perform this research is in a pressure chamber.
At high altitudes, where the ratio of O2 to CO2 remains the same, but
the partial pressure of O2 is reduced, many pilots have become grossly
incapable of flying, or have passed out, without being aware of the
onset of anoxia.

The Air Force has such pressure chambers, which are available to any
private pilot.  (I don't know whether they let non-pilots in.)
Anyway, part of this training is to run the subjects up through higher
and higher altitudes, having them sign their name at each stage, and
state how they feel.  Generally, they report no subjective changes, but
when brought back to sea level the successive signatures are progressively
worse until they deteriorate to an illegible scrawl.

				Bill Lindemann
				...!ucbvax!atd!avsdt:wcl