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During WWII, my grandfather survived a mortar shell fragment through his skull, leaving him completely paralyzed and blind. He recounted being able to clearly h

During WWII, my grandfather survived a mortar shell fragment through his skull, leaving him completely paralyzed and blind. He recounted being able to clearly hear the conversations of the doctors and nurses caring for him, and credited his desire to prove them wrong about him being comatose for his eventual recovery. After several months, he was able to move, and eventually regained sight, speech, and most of his mobility. (He lived well into his 70s - long outlasting the physician who diagnosed him, as he would mention on the rare occasions when he discussed his injuries.)

eitland 4y ago
In military they told us to never ever talk in a hopeless way near wounded even if we thought they were completely unconscious. Usually the hearing is the last sense to go they thought us, and if we said "he'll never make it" it could be the straw that broke the camels back for someone who is fighting the battle of their life. I don't know enough to know if this is true or not but I think it is a good idea anyway.
- bombcar 4y ago
  It is a very good rule and we shouldn’t leave it only for the apparently unconscious! Hope is a powerful thing and being a naysayer can have a bigger effect than we think (even on us).
  - thaumasiotes 4y ago
    > It is a very good rule This is a funny response to >>> He recounted being able to clearly hear the conversations of the doctors and nurses caring for him, and credited his desire to prove them wrong about him being comatose for his eventual recovery. Different people react to different things in different ways.
    - withinboredom 4y ago
      In the military, we were also taught that many people die of gunshots simply because they believe the should die (movies/plays/books) when it is perfectly survivable. Sure, some people are motivated to rebel against authority figures telling them what they can’t do, but the vast majority are not.
      - thaumasiotes 4y ago
        > In the military, we were also taught that many people die of gunshots simply because they believe the should die (movies/plays/books) when it is perfectly survivable. This would imply that many people who are uninjured, but believe they have been shot, die of that belief. I suspect that's not true.
        jakeinspace 4y ago
        I think it’s more a situation of getting shot and then giving up rather than crawling to cover, wrapping a tourniquet and and calling for aid. I’d imagine the shock of being hit by a bullet could be confused for disorientation due to blood loss, even if little blood has been lost yet.
        thaumasiotes 4y ago
        But that is the opposite of the advice being given. Your advice is "if you get shot, do something about it, or it may kill you". The advice above is "if you get shot, grit your teeth and will yourself to stay alive, so that you don't die".
        withinboredom 4y ago
        From being in several life-and-death situations, you'd be remarkably surprised how far will-power and adrenaline will get you. But no. The advice is the opposite: don't give up just because you think you should be dead; do literally anything else other than give up. Preferably, do the things you've been trained to do, but even if you just stay awake and fight for your life ... that is preferrable to giving up.

eitland 4y ago

In military they told us to never ever talk in a hopeless way near wounded even if we thought they were completely unconscious. Usually the hearing is the last sense to go they thought us, and if we said "he'll never make it" it could be the straw that broke the camels back for someone who is fighting the battle of their life. I don't know enough to know if this is true or not but I think it is a good idea anyway.

bombcar 4y ago
It is a very good rule and we shouldn’t leave it only for the apparently unconscious! Hope is a powerful thing and being a naysayer can have a bigger effect than we think (even on us).
- thaumasiotes 4y ago
  > It is a very good rule This is a funny response to >>> He recounted being able to clearly hear the conversations of the doctors and nurses caring for him, and credited his desire to prove them wrong about him being comatose for his eventual recovery. Different people react to different things in different ways.
  - withinboredom 4y ago
    In the military, we were also taught that many people die of gunshots simply because they believe the should die (movies/plays/books) when it is perfectly survivable. Sure, some people are motivated to rebel against authority figures telling them what they can’t do, but the vast majority are not.
    - thaumasiotes 4y ago
      > In the military, we were also taught that many people die of gunshots simply because they believe the should die (movies/plays/books) when it is perfectly survivable. This would imply that many people who are uninjured, but believe they have been shot, die of that belief. I suspect that's not true.
      - jakeinspace 4y ago
        I think it’s more a situation of getting shot and then giving up rather than crawling to cover, wrapping a tourniquet and and calling for aid. I’d imagine the shock of being hit by a bullet could be confused for disorientation due to blood loss, even if little blood has been lost yet.
        thaumasiotes 4y ago
        But that is the opposite of the advice being given. Your advice is "if you get shot, do something about it, or it may kill you". The advice above is "if you get shot, grit your teeth and will yourself to stay alive, so that you don't die".
        withinboredom 4y ago
        From being in several life-and-death situations, you'd be remarkably surprised how far will-power and adrenaline will get you. But no. The advice is the opposite: don't give up just because you think you should be dead; do literally anything else other than give up. Preferably, do the things you've been trained to do, but even if you just stay awake and fight for your life ... that is preferrable to giving up.