To add to that thought: Before THAT person died, someone ELSE had died in the previously most painful way possible, and at some point in the future someone else will probably find an even MORE painful way to die that we can't even imagine.
At some point it will probably reach a limit where one needs to be unusually susceptible to pain to die an even more painful death.
Presumably there could have been a point where someone drifted gently off to wherever it is we all go, comfortable and surrounded by loved ones, and in their naivety everyone present thought "oh how awful".
I've been on the Internet for a while now and I can safely assure you that the those even more painful ways of dying may not have happened yet, but someone certainly thought then up already.
Fortunately, when pain gets too extreme, it flips a breaker of sorts in your brain and you stop feeling it so much. Happens during really catastrophic trauma, presumably to keep the pain from distracting you too much from your (at that point probably necessary) fight or flight reactions.
Adrenaline is part of it, but I don't think it's solely responsible, as its not always present in accounts. Sometimes people can be very calm.
That's why psychological torture is preferred by a lot of "advanced interrogators".
Keep someone locked in the same uncomfortable position for days while you're blasting aggressive disorienting sounds and randomly flashing blinding lights in a room with mirrors.
Once in a while, take them and do a few hours of water boarding. Make sure they're constantly sleep deprived and can never get more than a few minutes of sleep.
Then when you do want to inflict physical pain, focus on the feet very slowly. Feet is one of the most sensitive areas. Slowly start peeling the skin or stick nails through the toes, or practice some electroshock therapy.
Honestly torture is terrifying. I recently read a long form article about it. Worst part is, our "civilized" governments still do this with some amount of regularity. Would be more civilized to put a bullet in the head.
Then think about near future where we can read thoughts (like 1984 where the "advanced interrogator" reads the protagonists mind to figure out what his greatest fear is) or even worse implant thoughts. They could implant images of you murdering your family or something. There's a lot of potential for some horrifying stuff.
Where did you get to know this? I want to read about it
That's why in some science fiction, see Warhammer 40K, they have technology that let you keep on feeling that pain long after you should be well and thoroughly dead. Honestly I'm not sure who's better at it, the Imperium or the Dark Eldar.
The cartel kinda did this in Funkytown, they hooked the guy up to an adrenaline IV so he would remain conscious while they skinned him.
So perhaps the most painful death would be just before that threshold.
I've seen some nasty videos I'd rather forget where they scream and cry all the way through it.
Calm is just a shock response to stop you from spurting out all your blood. It's the exact opposite of an adrenal reaction
That's also different than your brain dumping a bunch of neurotransmitters as you're dying. There's no advantage to that, it's just what happens as your brain dies.
Someone has certainly died more painfully than anyone else, but they haven't necessarily died in the most painful way possible.
That's true. Fair enough.
I wonder if someone can give any examples of these painful ways to die
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull
"The brazen bull ... was an alleged torture and execution device designed in ancient Greece. ... The bull was said to be hollow and made entirely out of bronze with a door in one side. According to legends, the brazen bull was designed in the form and size of an actual bull and had an acoustic apparatus that converted screams into the sound of a bull. The condemned were locked inside the device, and a fire was set under it, heating the metal until the person inside was roasted to death.
"Stories allege after finishing construction on the execution device, Perilaus said to Phalaris: "His screams will come to you through the pipes as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings." Perilaus believed he would receive a reward for his invention. Instead, Phalaris, who was disgusted by these words, ordered its horn sound system to be tested by Perilaus himself, tricking him into getting in the bull. When Perilaus entered, he was immediately locked in and the fire was set, so that Phalaris could hear the sound of his screams. Before Perilaus could die, Phalaris opened the door and took him away. After freeing him from the bull, Phalaris is then said to have taken Perilaus to the top of a hill and thrown him off, killing him. Phalaris himself is claimed to have been killed in the brazen bull when he was overthrown by Telemachus, the ancestor of Theron."
"The brazen bull … was an alleged torture and execution device designed in ancient Greece
There's zero evidence that was ever used tho...
A lot of the "terrible tortures of the past" are bullshit because the people that came next wanted to look civilized compared to the past.
I think for this one, someone found a bronze bull that could fit a person inside and some pipes. It's way more likely the person in there just played the pipes like horns
How about acute radiation sickness?
I'd have to agree with this one, and the most painful example of this that I can think of is Hisashi Ouchi, otherwise known as the most irradiated man in history.
My bet would be cartel torture with adrenaline to keep the victim awake.
That’s cruel
I would imagine some of the worst are rare conditions that take you from the inside out. I can’t find reference to the name of the disease, but I swear I remember seeing a bone condition that caused spiky growths, almost like crystals, to form from your bones.
It would be slow and excruciating and you would beg for death long before it ever came.
I think thats bone cancer. Its awful... I hope they find a cure or just instantly encourage euthanasia. No one should go trough that ever..
but I swear I remember seeing a bone condition that caused spiky growths, almost like crystals, to form from your bones.
That's what bone cancer is...
Sometimes it's just a lump in one spot. Sometimes it's a whole bunch of tiny growths that push into nerves and flesh.
Proteus Disease is what the Elephant Man had, but that's really just a super specific version of bone cancer.
And it could happen to you!
The way they dealt with the 'rulers' in the mustard uprising in Europe come to mind.
Dan Carlin did a whole hours long pod cast on it.
I was extremely confused trying to remember if Dan did an episode about mustard. But yeah that ep was brutal and entertaining!
Oh... I... I just assumed it was spelt mustard. Figured the word is like 6000 years old...
Cheers.
Complete proton reversal?
His name was Stan and it was documented in the movie Volcano
Cheers bro, I'll drink to that
Yes they did. And here’s their story: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophets-of-doom/
Warning: hardcore history really earns its name in this episode. And you may wish you could un-hear some of the things you’ll hear in this podcast.
Well I'm not so sure I want to listen now
I don't know. I think we need controlled studies to find out what the actual most painful way possible to die is. How many rapists and murderers do we have? I'm sure we can spare some of those for testing purposes.
Personally, my money is on someone being slowly fed into a wood chipper while on fire and drinking battery acid.
Well, they probably didn't do it very scientifically but if they could think of it and the tools existed, someone in history is likely to have tried it as a method for killing people.
Impaled people, for instance, could allegedly take days to die. Being slowly eaten by ants or rats sounds pretty painful too
There's one called "life" that is pretty cruel too. It might take anywhere from seconds to more than a hundred years for it to eventually kill you and some.people get to experience a lot of pain throughout the experience.
