How long can the human head stay 'alive' for after execution via axe, guillotine etc.?
488433
The current medical consensus is that life does survive, for a period of roughly thirteen seconds, varying slightly depending on the victim's build, health and the immediate circumstances of the decapitation. The simple act of removing a head from a body is not what kills the brain, rather, it is the lack of oxygen and other important chemicals provided in the bloodstream. To quote Dr. Ron Wright "The 13 seconds is the amount of high energy phosphates that the cytochromes in the brain have to keep going without new oxygen and glucose" (Cited from urbanlegends.com, no longer extant). The precise post-execution lifespan will depend on how much oxygen, and other chemicals, were in the brain at the point of decapitation; however, eyes could certainly move and blink.\n\nThis solely technical survival forms only part of the answer; the second question is 'how long does the victim remain aware?' While the brain remains chemically alive, consciousness can cease immediately, especially if the victim is knocked unconscious by the force of the decapitating blow. Conversely, an individual could remain self-aware - able to see through their eyes and understand what has happened - for much of the thirteen-second period. There is no consistency in this answer, as the precise length of both actual, and practical, survival will vary depending on the victim. Of course, this applies to many forms of swift decapitation, and not just to the victims of la guillotine.
721839
Indefinitely.  I'm not sure what the record is, but people have remained comatose for many years.
260763
On average in the US, since capital punishment was reinstated, inmates stay on death row 11.72 years. The current inmate population has been on death row an average of 12.83 years.
194221
not long without protective gear.......I think the liquids in your body would evoporate in a very painful manner..\n peace
1065147
Well, a chicken with its head cut of properly can only survive for a few moments.  However, your question probably stems from the popular story of Mike, the chicken who ran around with its head cut off.  You see,  the farmer had not done a very good job at chopping Mike's head off.  Most of the head was actually removed, but one ear remained intact. The slice actually missed the jugular vein and a clot prevented him from bleeding to death. \n\nApparently, most of a chicken's reflex actions are located in the brain stem, which was also largely untouched.
120224
http://people.howstuffworks.com/lethal-injection.htm\nThere's another good explanation of the procedure
647559
There have been quite a few public beheadings. There are ghastly stories of the eyes looking around at people and the mouth moving for several seconds.\n\n\nI don't buy the "shock" thing. Yes, what's left of your body, namely your head, can be uncontrollable due to the disorientation and pain of decapitation. But that doesn't mean your brain doesn't know exactly what just happened to it. There was plenty of warning when their neck was locked into the guillotine, so they saw it coming.\n\nI cut off a snake's head with a shovel, once. It opened it's mouth and gasped for breath for several seconds. That was an accident, by the way. I was digging and didn't see it.
303180
Like 12 or so\nor weeks in suspended animation\nhttp://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2004-06/1088260918.Zo.r.html\n\nYou know how I found out? I searched for it on yahoo! amazing what you can find on your own these days.
814920
You will find a good explanation on this site.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_death
1065065
Keep in mind that all animals and humans die the same way.  The final result is brain asphyxiation or suffocation of the brain.  As long as a continued supply of blood is being transported to the brain you will remain "alive".   So, no matter how much trauma has effected your body, if your brain is still receiving a fresh blood supply you are still "alive".
629649
Perhaps surprisingly, humans can subsist for some time without food. I depends on the fat content of the individual's body to begin with, but one to two months is not unheard of. At that point, the body is so weakened that the heart literally does not have the strength to continue beating.\n\nWater is much more essential. A human will thirst to death in as little as four days, though if they remain inactive throughout the period, it is possible to last as long as three weeks, at the extreme. Most people will perish in seven to ten days, however.
355245
Guillotines were used ever since their discovery by a German specialist! Hanging, even though it was used successfully in the Middle Eve, was considered exceptionally cruel and barbaric by public in the times of the Renaissance. So a German invented the guillotine, a punishment weapon which was extraordinarily fast and which assured that no one would suffer any pain when executed. It was considered the most humane method of dispatching criminals that were considered threats to society. They did not hang people for crimes in the Renaissance and certainly they did not throw rocks at them. They were beheaded through the use of the guillotine(not an axe or other sharp-edged weapons). The society in the Renaissance was a lot like ours is today. The Renaissance has almost nothing to the with the dark period of the Middle Eve.
285510
I guess it is possible if they hit their head on something and cracked their skull.  I don't know of anyone who has died this way, but it does sound possible.
65316
There are a lot of separate reasons why this question can not b totally acurately answered, ranging from how hot it is, how active the person is, what they had in their bodies already...but a rough answer is 15 days.
451308
I heard that some executioners were, themselves, convicted criminals. They were allowed to remain alive as long as they executed other convicted criminals. I think the executioners that I heard this about were actually hangmen in the American West 1700-1900.
432530
it depends on the age of the victim and also the size, shape and strength of the skull. It would also depend on the object that hit the skull and at what speed
228740
Well... You can live for just under 2 weeks - then you die, basically. Your body needs a period of time each day just to repair itself in.\n(this is just an approximation - some people need more sleep than others)\nDay 2: probably a little irritable\nDay 3: words may become slurred - movement slow  - areas of brain to do with thinking stilll function\nDay 4: Pulse can be erratic - sense of taste is afected - possibe delusions at this stage\nDay 5: Probably experiencing delusions\n\n(sorry i only have info up to day 5)\n\nBut you'd probably fall asleep well before the two weeks - unless you had some one keeping you awake