I need some help explaining something......

[Lone Star]

After spending a half hour looking for just the 'right place' to post this video, I decided that since it was going to involve an A&P discussion, this would be the right place to start.

I showed a funny video to someone...

Now, I'm in a bind trying to explain how the electrical stimuli to the muscles in the cadaver would still cause the involuntary muscle movement.

I've shown Luigi Galvani's experiments on dead frogs to help explain this phenomenon, but I still cant convince my friend that it IS possible to elicit involuntary movement in 'dead people'...

I'm asking anyone and everyone that might be able to explain this in laymans terms for your help.....

Thanks!

LS

[Just Plain Ruff]

Just go grab a copy of "Young Frankenstein" most of the original stars are dead now but it's a funny one.

[katgrl2003]

Great! Even though I knew something like that was gonna happen, I still managed to tip my chair over backwards.

-Kat

[Cadet66HM5]

That even scared me when I watched it! I would be curious about how that works as well. I have never heard of such a thing?!

[Scaramedic]

OK, everyone who went to Paramedic school and read Dubin's book has got to know why this works. Remember where he talks about the experiment with the frog legs?

[Cadet66HM5]

I am not yet an EMT so i apologize for my lack of knowledge about frog legs.

[Eydawn]

Ok. Here's my attempt at this. You know that muscles contract due to nerve impulses, correct? The nerve impulses are a result of depolarization and ion shift, which is essentially the same thing as an electrical impulse. Ergo, with these motor nerves, if you flood the system with high levels of electricity, the nerves are going to fire.

Now, even dead muscles have residual ATP, which is the energy unit by which things are done. With these muscles, with this store of ATP left, the ATP can still be used by the tissue, and the muscles can contract.

Make any sense at all?

Wendy

CO EMT-B

[spenac]

OK, everyone who went to Paramedic school and read Dubin's book has got to know why this works. Remember where he talks about the experiment with the frog legs?

You mean the way that Luigi Galvani would make frog's legs dance by electrical stimulation. Some called it a "supernatural" feat.

[Canadian Caesar]

Does anyone know how long the Muscle Tissue has to be Hypoxic... a.k.a. How long the person has to be "dead"... before the muscle tissue will no longer contract even with electrical stimulation? Is it a matter of hours, days, etc. ?

[Scaramedic]

Wendy, as far as I was taught your dead on. Maybe the Docs have more but that was perfect by me.

Also as I understand it is a matter of hours. I've also been told that as Rigor relaxes it will cause muscle movements.