I know there are plenty of cases in which someone has survived a shot through the brain, or in which only part of their functioning is impaired, but for the most part, why does a bullet randomly aimed at someone’s head kill them nearly instantaneously? Rather than just losing eyesight or the ability to move an arm or leg. Thanks!
In: Biology
The brain controls important bodily functions and the bullet stops the brain from performing those functions. That said, I read about Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head and has survived. The doctor said that had both sides of her brain been impacted, she would have died. But the bullet only penetrated one hemisphere of her brain so the other hemisphere was able to maintain enough cognitive functions for her to live. In fact, after the shooting, she was at least semi-conscious within a short time–you can see her adjusting her skirt as the ambulance takes her to the hospital after the shooting. She’s lost a bunch of brain function even so–she’s lost 50% of her vision and she has aphasia (can’t string together more than a few words at a time) because the verbal area of her brain was damaged. Plus one half of her body is partially paralyzed. But she’s made enormous strides in the 10 years since the attack.
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