Machines similar in design to the guillotine have been in use in Britain, Germany and Italy as far back as the 13th century
The Halifax Gibbet
The Halifax Gibbet was an early form of guillotine used to execute convicted felons. The Gibbet was used in Halifax, Yorkshire between 1280 and 1648, although the Royal privilege of having a gibbet is believed to have been granted in 1066. Executions took place in public on town market days. There are also records of guillotine-type machines in use in Milan in 1702 and in Nuremberg during the 1500's.
Dr. Joseph Ignance Guillotin was the Deputy of Paris. He announced that executions should be as humane as possible. On October 10, 1789 he proposed to the Constituent Assembly six articles relating to the penal code. These covered how the condemned, his property, family and ultimately his body after the sentence is carried out, should be treated. Guillotin's articles also covered the method of execution, decapitation 'solely by means of a simple mechanism'.
Decaptiation. Execution Used by the French
On March 25, 1791, the Constituent Assembly accepted Guillotin's articles and decreed that beheading would be the only form of execution acceptable in France.
Sanson, the official executioner of the time consulted with the Secretary of the Academy of Surgery, Dr. Antoine Louis before devising a machine capable of decapitation. It was originally called the Louisson or Louisette but later became known as the Guillotine.
Tobias Schmitt, a German engineer was paid 960 Francs to build the machine. The fee also included provision for a leather bag to be produced in which to dispose of the severed head.
The first guillotine was tested at a hospital and prison in Bicetre in April 1792 and after a series of tests initially on the bodies of animals and finally on cadavers, the first execution took place on April 25, 1792. Nicholas-Jacques Pelletier was the first person to be decapitated by guillotine.
Experiments continued to be carried out in order to increase the efficiency of the machine, especially in the shape of the blade. It was finally determined that an angled blade of 45 degrees was the most efficient and this became the standard design.
Soon guillotines were in operation across France. The device gained such notoriety that they were produced as models for children and as ear rings for women.
Construction of the Guillotine
The construction of the guillotine consisted of two uprights 14 feet 9 inches (4.5m) in length, 15 inches (37cm) apart. The uprights had metal grooves running their entire length to ensure free movement of the triangular shaped blade which was weighted and ran on a four wheeled carriage. The guillotine had to be perfectly level before it was used in order to prevent the blade from jamming.
At right angles to the uprights was a bench-shaped structure at the end of which was the bascule. This stood upright to enable the prisoner to be strapped in place before returning to the horizontal position and slid forward to bring the head into the lunette. The lunette is formed from twp halves with a semi circle cut out for the neck of the prisoner. The blade was constructed from steel and weighted to 40kg and fell from a height of 7 feet (2.25m). It was often drawn into position by a rope running through a brass pulley which is caught by a spring mechanism and released by pulling a cord or lever.
The Bloody 'Terror'
The 'terror', the bloodiest period of the French Revolution, 1225 people were decapitated in Paris alone. The Place de Greve was the site of execution for criminals. Political offenders were executed at the Place de Carrousel.
On January 21, 1793 a guillotine was erected on the Place de Revolution (now called Place de la Concorde) for the execution of Louis Capet better known as Louis XVI, King of France. His Queen, Marie Antoinette followed him to her death on October 16, 1793.
The last public execution in France took place on June 17, 1939 outside Santé Prison. And the last official use of the guillotine occurred on September 10, 1977 with the execution of Hamida Dja Ndoubie for rape, torture and murder.
Although more is known about the use of the gas chamber as a means of extermination in Nazi Germany, more people were executed by the guillotine than during the whole of the French Revolution. Nazi executioners, it was claimed, could decapitate a prisoner every three minutes. Between the years 1933-44 13,405 death sentences were levied in Nazi Germany, of which 11,881 were carried out. All of whom were decapitated by guillotine.
Cause of Death Following Decapitation
The cause of death following decapitation is from shock, anoxia due to haemorrhage and loss of blood pressure. Reports have stated that victims of the guillotine were able to respond by opening their eyes following decapitation. The brain has been calculated to have sufficient oxygen stored to continue metabolism for approximately seven seconds after the supply has been terminated and the heart will continue to pump for a period of time also.
Although decapitation by guillotine is undoubtedly a gruesome spectacle, it could be argued that it is a relatively humane form of execution as death follows so quickly.
Sources:
BBC History on line
Capital Punishment.org
Jorn Fabricius, Guillotine.dk
Encyclopaedia Britannica
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