Execution by Guillotine
Decapitation France’s Favoured Capital Punishment Method
The Halifax Gibbet was a device used to remove the heads of criminals in West Yorkshire, England. The website yorkshirehistory.com says its first recorded use was in 1286 when the unfortunate John of Dalton was decapitated. The blade had a heavy axe-shaped edge that dropped from a height onto the victim’s neck.
A variant farther to the north was known as the Scottish Maiden.
French Revolution Searches for Humane Execution Device
Prior to the French Revolution, the country’s practice had been to inflict as much pain as possible on the condemned person before dispatching them. Beheading was reserved for the nobility, although its painlessness depended largely on the accuracy of the axe-man, something that could not always be guaranteed if he had fortified himself with drink before carrying out his duties. It was also essential for the victim not to struggle, again something that could not be guaranteed.
The revolutionaries took a different view of the execution process and wanted to find a way of getting it over with as quickly and humanely as possible.
Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin Calls for Compassion
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was a medical doctor and professor of anatomy. He was also an opponent of capital punishment. As a member of the National Assembly he spoke in October 1789 about the need to find a humane method of carrying out executions.
A couple of years later, Dr. Guillotin was a member of a committee that was given the job of finding this more compassionate method. The committee decided to follow the example of the Halifax Gibbet and the Scottish Maiden.
According to crimemuseum.org, Dr. Guillotin “drew a rendering of a machine that would behead a victim when a large blade was dropped quickly over the condemned person’s neck… His suggestion was rejected.”
Reign of Terror
However, public demand for painless executions saw the plans sent off to engineers for construction. The device was tested on cadavers before, on April 25, 1792, Nicholas-Jacques Pelletier, a highwayman, earned the distinction of being the first person executed by guillotine.
Then the guillotine was put to use killing off the French aristocracy. For a nine-month period from September 1793, the French revolutionary government embarked on a campaign of terror designed to snuff out any hint of opposition to its policies. Accurate records were not kept, but upwards of 16,000 people are believed to have had a date with the guillotine during this period. While many were nobles, thousands of ordinary people also came to a premature end.
Is the Guillotine Humane?
Aside from the debate about whether capital punishment itself is humane, the guillotine is said to be swift and painless, although that latter claim can never be proven.
Capitalpunishmentuk.org says “The person guillotined becomes unconscious very quickly and dies from shock and anoxia due to hemorrhage and loss of blood pressure within less than 60 seconds. It has often been reported that the eyes and mouths of people beheaded have shown signs of movement.”
Doctors say the victim is unconscious within two to five seconds.
Scottish Maiden the Guillotine’s Ancestor.
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Politics & Society
Latest Articles