In the bitterly cold winter, a puzzling phenomenon comes to the fore from time to time - those who are homeless and drunk on the streets in the cold weather, and in the last moments of their lives, they take off their clothes, and some even have only underwear. This seems to be the opposite of our instinctive behavior of dressing up in the cold, and it feels incredible.
Especially in cold countries like Russia, cases of freezing to death due to alcohol poisoning are common, and this phenomenon has attracted widespread attention from the public and scientific researchers.
The question arises: what mysterious forces are driving these people who undressed abnormally on their deathbeds? Is it the interference of alcohol with consciousness, or the disruption of the body's mechanisms by low temperatures? Or is there an unknown mechanism of self-preservation in the human instinct behind this?
In the winter of 1847, a tragic scene in human history unfolded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of United States. The Donner Reid Brigade, a group of immigrants traveling from the east to California, is trapped in the mountains by a blizzard. The people in the team are hungry and cold, facing the test of life and death. In such a harsh environment, people's will and physical strength are pushed to the limit.
One of them, Patrick · Dolan, is in particularly miserable shape. Dolan began to look strange on the first night the team stopped to rest, his eyes became glazed, and he began to babble gibberish, unable to control his actions. Then, he actually took off his tattered clothes and rushed naked into the snowstorm. The rest of the team tried to stop him, but the cold and fatigue were already overwhelmed.
Shockingly, Dolan returned to the tent alone a few hours later, but his body was already almost completely naked in the icy air. Despite his companions' attempts to keep him awake, he was no longer able to comprehend the situation around him. Eventually, on a cold night, Dolan died of hypothermia. This incident became a classic case in later scientific research, and various speculations were raised about his behavior of taking off his clothes before freezing to death.
Dolan's death was not unique, and there are many similar records in history after him. It has been found that those who freeze to death in the bitter cold often exhibit an unusual undressing behavior before they die. This behavior is known as the phenomenon of abnormal undressing, and it creates a deep curiosity and confusion about the psychological and physical reactions of humans in extreme environments.
Before we can explore the process of freezing to death and how the human body reacts, we need to understand the normal range of human body temperature.
Normally, the body's body temperature is maintained at around 37°C, which is the basis for the normal development of various physiological reactions of the body. However, when the human body is exposed to cold, thermoregulatory mechanisms begin to work in an attempt to keep the body temperature stable.
At first, the body generates additional heat by shivering, while blood vessels constrict, reducing blood flow to the extremities to keep the core organs warm. This reaction causes the skin to lose its blood color, the body to feel cold, and even frostbite may occur. Over time, if the body temperature continues to drop, the body will enter the stage of hypothermia.
Hypothermia is a severe physiological condition in which the body experiences a variety of symptoms, including chills, confusion, and slowed heartbeat and breathing when the body temperature drops below 35°C. These symptoms are exacerbated by further drops in body temperature. When the body temperature drops lower, the human body may experience hallucinations or even loss of consciousness.
In the late stages of freezing to death, due to a severe decrease in the heart's ability to pump blood, the body's heart rate and respiratory rate will slow down dramatically, and the brain will experience a lack of oxygen, eventually leading to death. During this process, some people will experience abnormal undressing, which may be due to the illusion caused by the dilation of blood vessels, which makes the person feel that the body is hot, or the destruction of thermoregulatory centers such as the hypothalamus by low temperature, resulting in abnormal thermoregulatory mechanisms.
This physiological response to extreme hypothermia is not limited to outdoor cases of freezing to death, but also occurs in individuals with certain drug or alcohol poisoning. Therefore, understanding the physiological changes in the process of freezing to death is of great medical significance for the prevention and treatment of hypothermia.
The phenomenon of abnormal stripping has always been a difficult mystery in medical and biological research. Scientists have proposed a number of theories to explain this phenomenon, one of which involves spasm and dilation of peripheral blood vessels. When the human body is in an extremely cold environment, in order to protect the core organs from the cold, the peripheral blood vessels will first spasm, and the blood flow will be redistributed to ensure the blood supply to vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain.
However, when the body temperature continues to drop to a certain level, the blood vessels may dilate abnormally. This expansion causes blood to flow to the extremities, causing a temporary rise in the temperature of the body's surface, giving the illusion that the body is heating up. Under the influence of this illusion, people may take off their clothes and try to dissipate heat by reducing their clothing, which in fact only accelerates the drop in body temperature, increasing the risk of frostbite and even death.
Another theory focuses on the effects of low temperature on cognitive function in the brain. The hypothalamus is a key area for regulating body temperature, and when the temperature is too low, the function of the hypothalamus may be impaired, resulting in dysregulation of body temperature. This damage may cause the person to experience a false sensation of heat, prompting the individual to remove their clothing. In addition, low temperatures can affect other areas of the brain, leading to confusion, poor judgment, and even abnormal behavior.
Whether it is the dysfunction of peripheral blood vessels or the error of brain cognition, the phenomenon of abnormal undressing reflects the complex physiological and psychological reactions of human beings in extreme environments. These responses may have had some adaptive significance in evolutionary history, but in modern societies they often lead to tragedy. Therefore, the study of this phenomenon not only helps to reveal the nature of life, but also provides us with important knowledge to prevent and respond to extreme environmental challenges.
In addition to the phenomenon of abnormal undressing, another pattern of behavior before freezing to death is also of interest: the ultimate cave dwelling phenomenon. In this phenomenon, a dying person instinctively seeks out a narrow or low space, such as inside a car, under a rock or tree, or even under a bed or table, and curls themselves up in it.
This behavior is thought to be a manifestation of the need for warmth and shelter in human nature in extreme environments. When the human body feels the threat of cold and death, it subconsciously tries to find a place where it can shelter itself from the wind and rain in order to protect itself from further damage. Although this behavior may seem rather bizarre in modern society, it may be an ancient survival strategy in an evolutionary context.
For example, in the Donner Reid Brigade incident, Dolan tried to get back to his tent before freezing to death, which may have been his instinctive attempt to seek shelter. In other cases, bodies have been found under cars or under trees, which may have provided some shelter and a sense of security before dying.
Scientists do not agree on the explanation of the ultimate cave-dwelling phenomenon, but most theories tend to believe that it is an instinctively driven behavior. This behavior may be related to the fact that distant human ancestors sought out burrows to escape the cold during the Ice Age, or it may be an instinctive reaction similar to hibernation. In modern society, while we no longer have to contend with extreme natural conditions like our ancient ancestors, this instinct that is deeply rooted in our genes still leaves its mark on our behavior.
The phenomenon of ultimate cave-dwelling not only reveals the instinctive human response to death, but also reminds us that humans still retain some of the most primitive survival mechanisms in the face of the challenges of the natural world. These mechanisms may be key to our survival in some cases, but in others, they can lead us to make irrational choices.
Although the phenomenon of paradoxical stripping and the phenomenon of ultimate cave-dwelling have been widely documented, scientists still know very little about the exact reasons behind these behaviors. Research in this area faces many difficulties, mainly due to the scarcity of frozen death cases and the ethical implications of studying such phenomena.
Freezing to death events often occur in extreme settings and involve individuals who are often homeless, intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, or unfortunate people who have been unfortunate on wilderness adventures. These cases are difficult to predict and control, so scientists cannot make direct experimental observations. In addition, it is unethical to conduct experimental research related to freezing death due to the issues involved in human life and dignity, which also greatly limits the depth and breadth of research on such phenomena in the scientific community.
Scientists often rely on retrospective analyses of events that have occurred, as well as surveys of survivors, to understand the process of freezing to death. However, the information provided by these methods is limited, as they do not fully reveal the physiological and psychological changes of an individual during the process of freezing to death. In addition, the process of freezing to death may vary from person to person, as everyone's physical condition and environmental conditions are different, further complicating the research.
As a result, there are still many unsolved mysteries about the exact cause of the phenomenon of abnormal stripping and the ultimate cave-dwelling phenomenon. The various hypotheses put forward by scientists still need more data and experimental evidence to support or disprove them. In the future, as technology advances and ethical standards evolve, we may have a deeper understanding of these phenomena.
While we can't fully understand the exact cause of the act of undressing before freezing to death, there are steps that can be taken to prevent this tragedy from happening. First and foremost, it is crucial to avoid excessive alcohol consumption and substance abuse. Alcohol and certain drugs can impair a person's judgment and sensitivity to the cold, making them more susceptible to cold weather.
For those with mental illness, their cognitive abilities may be impaired, making it more difficult to recognize and respond to threats from cold environments. Therefore, there should be more support and care from both family members and society to ensure that they are properly protected in cold weather.