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To all- yes this has been a great discussion. This is what I feel makes TFL a great place.
Mr. Rogan,
I may be wrong but I don't think so. I have searched the literature on medline, looked at several trauma references, and discussed this with a few individuals more knowledgeable in this field than I. Serious autopsies are done on people when they are shot, including brain sectioning, and they just don't show an intracranial bleed/stroke.
Even if it did, people/animals can take quite a large bleed in the head and still function for a short period. I have seen it frequently.
The arterial system is very resistant to rapid pressure spikes because there is a huge surface area of little arteries(arterioles) at the end which help dampen the pressure.
Now there are a few other options other than stroke. The large arteries could be torn and cause a dissection of the artery occluding the carotids, or an air embolism could be introduced- neither of these would be instantaneous however, and would at least require a minute or so to take full effect.
Keep in mind you see the animal drop instantly, but how long before you check to see if it is alive? Just because it dropped does not mean it died instantly.
You bring up a very good point Mr. Rogan. The entire body is crammed with fluid filled goodies making it a semi solid. The arteries are expandable and part of this complex mass. The pressure wave should not run up the arteries like a solid metal pipe. instead it will dissipate through all the tissues up into the head, not just up the arteries.
I also agree that there is a "something" besides loss of BP and CNS hit that incapacitates. I believe the answer lies in the adrenaline dump. Just as it can bring the dead back to "life" for a short period, it can certainly prolong it. It squeezes the blood out of the periphery and increases the heart rate thereby providing blood to the central organs and brain.
The hydrostatic shock theory just has too many flaws for me to buy it. IMHO- the best answer lies in the psycological state of the animal/human and therefore the potential for an adrenaline (and other hormone)"dump". Most have repect for the motivated crack/meth/PCP psyco and how hard it is to put them down. I would place adrenaline in the same category (the reason these drugs are so powerfull is probably due to the adrenaline dump).
Anyway- all of this is just my single humble opinion. Sorry for the long post and my absence, I haven't logged on for a couple of days.
Olazul
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