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From: HIsrael.DODCSC%MIT-MULTICS@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Evidence for the soul?!?
Message-ID: <15415@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Jan-84 13:51:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.15415
Posted: Fri Jan 13 13:51:00 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Jan-84 01:34:59 EST
Lines: 18


   I had heard sometime in the past (probably from "Real (Stupid)
People" or "That's Incredible(-ly Dumb)" or maybe even "In Search
of...") that after people die (assuming you define death as the
non-occurence of a heart beat) they *lose* weight.  I recall it was some
fraction of an ounce.  The narrater suggested that the loss of weight be
attributed to the soul leaving the body.

   One possible explanation might be that since the heart stopped
beating all of the muscles relax thereby allowing air to leave the
lungs.  Assuming the way they found out that people lose weight when
they die was by putting the near dead body on a gurney-scale (assuming
one of these things exist) any other muscle relaxation (i.e., solid or
liquid) would not affect the scale.

   Any other thoughts/ideas?

---Howie