I'm completely hooked on this show.
It's completely fascinating and, given that I don't know what it would actually be like to be stranded on a deserted (hmmm?) island, I have to think it's fairly realistic.
Except for last night. If you didn't see it, I won't spoil it for you and will put my ruminations after the jump.
Ok, so what's the deal with Charlie coming back to life after being hanged?
Now, it's not so much that he was revived that I'm having issues with, it's that he was able to talk---in his normal voice---after hanging from a rope for God only knows how long.
He shouldn't have been able to breathe normally, let alone talk. The tissues in anyone's throat are very sensitive to any sort of damage. My voice has changed simply from smoking. I can't imagine what someone who's experienced a long drop from a short rope would sound like---if they managed to survive the whole neck breaking thing in the first place.
When Jack tried to revive Charlie, the thought that was racing through my head was Tracheotomy! Tracheotomy! Slit that windpipe open and put a ball point pen to use, my friend!! But, no. Slamming repeatedly on Charlie's chest was apparently enough to get him to the breathing stage, and then, miraculously, he was able to get enough wind into his lungs simply by inhaling. The tissues in Charlie's throat should have been swollen beyond recognition; he wouldn't have been able to get any air in through his trachea because of said swelling. Even if Jack could have gotten Charlie's heart beating, that would have been secondary to clearing a path for air.
But apparently the path was just fine.
Hmmmm. Doesn't make sense, and perhaps I'm being overly picky because it is a TV show. But still...this appears to be one thing a doctor should have known, and yet the doctor didn't.
(And in case you're wondering how I know so much about the medical aftereffects of hanging, go buy this novel. There's a hanging scene in it that's on par with the drowning description in A Perfect Storm. I've met the author and her protagonist is a doctor who is the primary care physician for the hanging victim. Diana researched hanging effects, like everything else she writes, quite thoroughly. I also know she didn't exaggerate, either, because she told me (and a few other people) as much when we met with her. She said, quite simply, that she didn't have to exaggerate it; that there was rarely anything worse than surviving a hanging.
Posted by Kathy at December 9, 2004 11:10 AMHaven't watched last night's episode yet. Taped it, though, and will probably watch it tonight. We haven't missed an episode, and have been hooked since the very first.
Maybe after we watch last night's I'll weigh in with my theories.
Posted by: Drew at December 9, 2004 12:08 PMI love that show, although I must agree, that last nights episaode was the first one I watched that actually seemed a bit far fetched. With a BS in physiology and scheduled to attend PA school in the fall, you're absolutely right, Charlie was long dead and would be in serious trouble even if he'd been revived. I've put a couple of my own tv themed posts here, here, and here
Although I haven't watched the show, I have been in a deserted, desert survival program for 14 days. No matches,lighters, flashlights, candy, watches, etc, just a wool blanket, army poncho and 2 water bottles. A compass and map were provided as well as dried foods that could only be cooked if you could start a fire with a bow drill. I ate a lot of berries and hiked over 120 miles. I was 44 and thought I would die, but I'm a survivor and although I paid to put myself in that situation, I feel very confident that if I am ever truly lost, I will survive. A very important instinct for the F.C. (the person who heads up searches and rescues for lost people) to have.
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