Re: It's the amps that kill you

["Mike Shipway" <madmike@digizen.net>]

On 31 Dec 98 at 18:34, vintner@genie.com wrote:

> It's actually the milliamps that kill you.
and the part of the body they pass through.

ie: you can take AMPS through you arm and get nasty burns or even 
boil some of the water thats there, without killing you.

but.. milliamps through your heart can disrupt it's rythm and make it 
quiver ineffectually (Ventricular Fibrilation).

curiously larger amounts of current though the heart cause it to 
clamp, stop beating entirely, from which state there is a chance that 
it will start beating normally after a short while.  Not a 
recommended experience though.  This is given for why (some) people 
survive being struck by lightning.

Fairly large amounts through the brain (electro-shock "therapy") 
scrambles the nuerons and trashs recent memories, but doesn't kill 
you.  Some doctors still present this as a theraputic improvement
(shudder).



Michael Shipway
Free range programmer, solar powered.
madmike@digizen.net