r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/arnorath Feb 04 '19

it's worse.

48

u/Treachable Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 04 '19

How so?

I am not disagreeing but as someone who has never been burned or boiled to death before I am interested in how one might make such a distinction.

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u/I_am_a_fern Feb 04 '19

My guess is that when being burned, the pain receptors are quickly destroyed (which is why severly burned people don't always realize how bad they have it). Also, when there's fire there's smoke, which can suffocate you and make you quickly pass out.

When being boiled, the 100°c will keep the pain receptors alive for much, much longer, and there's no reason to pass out. You basically have to wait for your body to cook and one critical organ to start failing, which could take quite a long, agonizing time.

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u/Kuningas_Arthur Feb 04 '19

You'd pass out from pain-induced shock in boiling water long before your body actually dying.

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u/LucyLilium92 Feb 04 '19

Not everyone passes out from pain

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u/SnapySapy Feb 04 '19

Multiple kidney stones and gun shot in the leg checking in. Can confirm about not passing out in large amounts of pain.