Real Life Zombies?!?

Writer Dale Eldon often poses medical questions to me but one question that seemed pertinent for his writing vice was whether or not zombies are a real-life medical possibility. The truth, even for the fiction writer, has to be grounded in realism for the reader to buy in. You either have to work from reality or create a believable story world from scratch.

Here's a post I did for him on The Walking Dead.

So, are there real life examples of something dead coming back to life? In fact, there are. There are three aspects to consider.

One: Let’s examine the compliant aspect of being a zombie. Is it possible to create a wholly compliant individual? Someone without individual will power?

The answer seems to be yes.



Image: Wikipedia

Let’s consider TTX, the neurotoxin found in the blue-ringed Octopus. If this toxin is absorbed through the skin, it’s akin to having a frontal lobotomy and may lead to a compliant individual. Your personal zombie minion. You can find out more about TTX at the Writer’s Forensic Blog hosted by D.P. Lyle: http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/q-and-a-what-are-the-toxic-effects-of-a-poisonous-octopus-bite/.

Two: Someone that is alive is actually declared dead.

One truly frightening aspect is that sometimes lay people and even medical professionals aren’t all that great at determining whether or not a person has a pulse. This influenced changes to how the American Heart Association teaches CPR. Now, it’s encouraged to not spend more than 10 seconds trying to figure out whether or not a person has a pulse. If they’re not responding to you and you can’t find one—just start CPR. If they are conscious, they’ll let you know. If not, they likely need CPR anyway.

We’ve all heard the legends of corpses being found with nail marks in the lid. Well, how about the story from 2011 of a South African man who was presumed dead and brought to the morgue by his family and placed in the freezer-- only to wake up about a day later amongst the truly dead and decomposing. You can find that story here: http://abcnews.go.com/International/south-african-dead-man-wakes-screaming-day-morgue/story?id=14154534.

Three: Are there real-life examples of things that are truly dead—no pulse, no breathing, no brain activity—yet, come back to life.

Let’s take the case of the wolf spider. A French researcher, Julien Petillon, decided to find out and submerged them in water for several hours—like 16. Now dead, they did come back to life. Check out more on this story and what he says about the 16 hour time frame and its significance at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30348224/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/drowned-spiders-come-back-dead/.

Image: Wikipedia

So yes, I would say there are examples of zombie behavior in our world. The compliant individual, those presumed dead but still alive, and those that have died yet are reanimated.

What zombie-like plot can you come up with based on these real-life examples?

Author Question: Can Chloroform be Sprayed?

Sarah Asks:

Would chloroform, if shot out from a spray toward the victim, be effective for making a person pass out right away?

Jordyn Says:

Chloroform Mask 1865

Depends. Are you inside or outside?
I'm not sure that method of delivery will work for Chloroform. I found this paragraph that explains why. It is from this link: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-chloroform.htm

"Chloroform can easily be carried in water, and when it is exposed to oxygen and sunlight, a chemical reaction forms phosgene, a toxic gas. If chloroform is exposed outdoors, the phosgene will break down and ultimately become harmless, but in enclosed spaces, it can be highly dangerous: in addition to use in modern manufacturing processes, phosgene had a historical use as a deadly chemical weapon in both World War I. In groundwater, chloroform will build up and take a long time to break down, because it is not readily water-soluble. For this reason, most environmental agencies set safety levels for chloroform content, so that water can be routinely evaluated to see whether or not it poses a threat to consumers."

Must the substance be sprayed? I'm not aware of any substance that could be sprayed that would just knock a person out, leaving them relatively unharmed with their breathing intact. After all, the police would probably readily use it in their work as it wouldn't be as irritating as pepper spray, the taser, or as lethal as a bullet.

Any thoughts for Sarah?

Winner! ...and Up and Coming

Good morning Redwood's fans.

Quick post to announce the winner of Peter Leavell's Gideon's Call.

Congratulations, Linda! Whose beginning e-mail starts with desert....

I'll be e-mailing you tomorrow.

For you this week:

Monday: Author question! I love to do these posts. In this one, I'll tackle whether or not chloroform can be sprayed.

Wednesday: Some Halloween fare-- are there real life zombies? Hmmm, check here to find out.

Friday: What exactly does a drug screen test for? I'll give some ER nursing thoughts here.

Now, off to save some lives.

Illness and the Writer: Peter Leavell 2/2

I'm so pleased to host fellow author, Peter Leavell, and his real life story of a unique medical diagnosis. First hand accounts help writers learn what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes. Peter is the winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel Contest! Peter is finishing up his two part series today.

Peter has graciously agreed to give away one copy of his book to a commenter drawn at random. To enter, simply leave a comment that includes your e-mail address on either of Peter's posts. Drawing will take place Saturday, October 27th at midnight. Winner announced here at Redwood's on Sunday, October 28th.

Here is Part I.

Welcome back, Peter!

Somewhere in the several weeks it took to get the blood test results back, I received an email that said I was an Operation First Novel semi-finalist.

And then an email that said I was a finalist for Gideon's Call. I read it over and over again. From my bed.

Finally the blood test results came in and the doctor called me. Come in, he said. No appointment needed.

I stopped making testosterone. Here’s his exact quote. 

“We don't know for sure what's causing the problem. The leading theories are auto-immune disorders and environmental exposures, especially plastics. In years past doctors did not look for the condition all that much, so we don't know if the explosion in prescriptions is due to the problem getting worse or if we're just better now at finding it. If we really are seeing more and more of this, then environmental exposure would be the more likely culprit. If the rates are actually stable then autoimmune disorders would be more likely. Stay tuned. More research is on the way.”

 

The trouble was, as fast as my muscles were deteriorating—well, the heart is a muscle. So a pharmacy overnighted a bottle of testosterone into Boise, a gel I could put on like a deodorant.

What about the sun’s heat exploding from my body? I’m proud to say that I was going through male menopause. Yep, hot flashes, body aches, and changes in how my body responded to everything. I even started eating broccoli.

After a month, I still didn’t feel great, but made reservations to the Christian Writers Guild Conference, where the winner of Operation First Novel would be announced.

Before packing up to go, I started feeling better. My body recovered enough to drive the 800 miles from Boise to Denver. And there, I stood with the other finalists under the rueful gaze of Jerry B. Jenkins as he announced the winner was Peter Leavell.

And I felt a shock burst through my body. I spent the rest of the conference as if staring into the sun.

Instant fame, articles, speaking opportunities, and I don’t have to do a bit of it in my power. Because I know Jesus wraps his arms around me. He will be with me every step of the way. Because I need Him.

My body is 65-75% of what it was before, now a full year after I’ve fallen ill. My mind still suffers from panic attacks while two conversations happen at once. Although, I can’t decide if that’s the normal male mind.  It’s just enough of an issue to realize I must rely on Him for my strength.

But that’s okay. Because, to the relief of my family, He took me from that deathbed and gave me a new life. And His arms are wrapped around me. And I love Him. And that’s all that matters.

 

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Peter Leavell, a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest. Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. For entertainment, he reads historical books, where he finds ideas for new novels. Whenever he has a chance, he takes his wife and two homeschooled children on crazy but fun research trips. Learn more about Peter’s books, research, and family adventures at www.peterleavell.com and on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PeterLeavell.