21 grams

[honsten]

does your body really lose 21 grams of your body weight when you die, if so why?

[smudge]

Whatever the amount, it would be due to the loss of body fluids, etc.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Indeed. I think I'm right in saying that the theory has never been tested (certainly not in recent times) under scientific conditions - quite apart from anything else, it would be completely unethical to place a dying person in a sealed box to observe whether there is weight loss. Clearly the most immediate effect is liable to be death through oxygen deprivation!

Pesonally, I would choose to doubt the theory, but then I am an athiest and therefore, don't believe in a soul.

[Loosehead]

Never hear of this, where did you get the figure 21 grammes? More background might help.

[admarlow]

there is a film called 21 grams

[Noweia]

There was a scientist in the Victorian (I think) era who recorded the weight, before and after death, of several patients and found that each one had lost 21 grams.  The 'experiment' wasn't conducted in a scientific manner so isn't very valid.  There are a few websites out there explaining it, do a google on it!

[CarolG]

Loosehead - there is a film called 21 Grans which was out last year. 21 Grams refers to the test Noweia mentioned, some people believe that its the soul leaving the body.

[admarlow]

.....no!! the film is called 21 GRAMS, see the link,

http://www.21-grams.com/index.php

[CarolG]

It was a typo, i'm sure people realised that.

[admarlow]

that old chestnut

[doseybint]

There was a scentist a long time ago who wanted to determine the weight of the soul, but his experiment was ridiculously invalid - out of 6 subjects, 2 were ommitted, 1 registered 3/8 ounce but then gained it back again - the results were all over the place. But there was one patient who dies and lost 21 grams. That's it. One. A global myth from the test data of ONE patient.

[geniusblonde]

S ce no resent experimentation has been with held about this topic then there is really no way to know the right answer. Personallyy I feel that it is true. This is because we are geniuses. People will bow to us, we are the next Adolf Hitler. ANYWHO when you die your body must let go of fluids, decreased pressure, oxygen, bacteria so you idiots dont know the right answer.