In the medical journal new York for 1888 described a unique case with sailor river tug boat pulling a barge on its deck in two layers piled up large boxes. By accident just at the moment when his tug came up to the bridge with a low arch, situated on the bow of the barge sailor decided to see whether oslab fastening upper layer, climbed up on the bottom and looked up over the boxes. Because he had his back on a course of movement, however, he saw approaching danger, and lower the sharp edge of the beam of the bridge span, as a razor, cut off part of the skull is about two inches above the right eye.

And then a miracle happened. When a couple of hours sailor was taken to the hospital, he was still alive. The doctors began to treat the wound, not very much hoping to save unusual patient, when suddenly he opened his eyes and asked what had happened to him. But miracles continued! When the doctors had finished his work and was bandaged decreased on a quarter of the head, the victim suddenly got off the operating table. He demanded his robe, stating that he wanted to go home. It is, of course, will not let go. And yet two of Meszaros returned to the ship. Injury, apparently, had no effect on him. Occasionally he complained of dizziness, but otherwise it was completely healthy. Only after 26 years after the accident he was partially paralyzed his left hand and leg. And after four years, when former sailor went to hospital, doctors wrote in his history of the disease that the patient has a tendency to hysteria. Given the years, it would be possible to doubt the veracity of this story. But medicine is known not less striking cases that took place much later.

In 1935, in the hospital of St. Vincent in new York, was born child, who did not have a brain. And yet for 27 days the child lived, ate and cried, no different from usual newborns. His behavior was completely normal, and about the lack of brain before opening nobody even knew existed. In 1957, before the American Association of psychologists with a sensational report was delivered by Dr. Jan Bruel and George Albee. They successfully completed the operation, during which the patient at the age of 39 had to delete all of the right hemisphere. Moreover, to the great astonishment of the doctors, he not only recovered soon, but after the operation has not lost its old mental abilities, which were above average.

And in 1940 in the clinic of doctor Narcisa put 14 - year-old boy who was tortured terrible headaches. Two weeks later, he unfortunately died, and until the very end was conscious and was in his right mind. When doctors have performed the autopsy, we were shocked: almost all of the cranial box took a huge sarcoma is a malignant tumor, almost completely absorbed brain tissue, from which it followed that for a long time the boy lived without a brain!

In the United States during the excavation 25-year-old worker Phineas gage was a victim of an accident, the consequences of which entered the history of medicine as one of the most perplexing mysteries. The explosion sticks of dynamite massive metal rod 109 cm long and 3 cm in diameter sunk into the cheek of the unfortunate, knocking root tooth, fired the brain and the skull, and then flew a few yards of it, fell down. What was most surprising that gage was not killed on the spot and even not so badly affected: only lost an eye yea a tooth. Soon his health is almost fully recovered, and he retained mental abilities, memory, speech, and control over one's own body. In all these cases, brain tissue was so severely violated as a result of injury or disease that traditional medical canons, our “Supreme commander” simply was not supposed to perform its functions thoughts and regulator of vital processes in the body. It turns out that all the victims lived almost “no king in his head, though different times.

But it happens that people some time remains alive without the head, but from a medical point of view it is absolutely impossible!

One day the foreman Boris Luchkin who fought in the regimental intelligence, told the incredible story. Somehow during the search in the rear of the Germans who commanded their reconnaissance Lieutenant stepped on jumping mine-frog”. Such min was special lifting charge, which threw her a meter and a half up, and then an explosion. It happened at that time. All sides flew shards. And one of them was completely off the head of the Lieutenant, who was walking ahead of a meter away from Luchkina. But beheaded commander, according to the officers, he fell to the ground, as knocked down a sheaf, and continued to stand on his feet, though he has only the chin and lower jaw. Above there was nothing. And this terrible body loosened his right hand quilted jacket, pulled from his bosom map with driving directions, and handed her already drenched in blood, Lucchino. Only then killed Lieutenant finally fell. The commander's body, even after the death of “thinking” (!) about his soldiers, they were taken away and buried near the headquarters of the regiment. But then no one believed the story Luchkina, the more that other scouts, who was walking behind, not seen all the details and therefore could not confirm the words of the officers.

Medieval Chronicles tell about this episode. In 1636 king Ludwig of Bavaria sentenced to death some of Diez von Shaunburg with his four display because they rebelled. When sentenced led to the place of execution, according to the chivalric tradition, Ludwig the Bavarian asked of Diez, what will be his last wish. To the amazement of the king, he was asked to put them all in a row at a distance of eight steps from each other and to cut off the head of him first. He promised that he will begin to run without a head past his mercenaries, and those by which he will have time to run, should be pardoned. Noble Diez have built their comrades in a row, and he got up from the edge, he knelt down and put his head on the chopping block. But as soon as the strike of an axe executioner took it, Diez jumped to his feet and raced past frozen in horror mercenaries. Only after running the last of them, he dropped dead on the ground. The astonished king decided that it could not happen without the intervention of the devil, but still kept his promise and had mercy on mercenaries.

Another case of “life after death” is reported in the report of corporal Rcremo found in the archive of the British military Ministry. It sets out a really fantastic circumstances of the death of the commander of the company “B” 1-St Yorkshire line regiment captain Tmalone during the conquest by the British in India in the early nineteenth century. It happened during hand-to-hand fight in the assault on Fort Amari. The captain was demolished by the sword the head of the soldier. But decapitated body collapsed to the ground and raised his rifle, fired a shot at close range, English officer right in the heart and then fell. Even more incredible episode leads journalist Igor Kaufman. Immediately after the war in the woods near Peterhof mushroom found some kind of explosive device. Wanted to see him and held-to-face. There was an explosion. The mushroom was completely off the head, but he went without it for two hundred meters, and three meters along a narrow Board over the Creek, and only then died. The reporter emphasizes that it is not a legend, were witnesses, and materials remained in the archive of the criminal investigation Department.

Goes, even the sudden and complete loss of brain does not cause instant death. But then who or what controls his body, forcing to take reasonable steps?

To answer this question, consult the interesting hypothesis of doctor of technical Sciences Igor Blatov. He believes that, in addition to the brain and the associated consciousness, humans have “soul” - a kind of “storage of programs ensuring the functioning of the body on all levels, from the higher nervous activity to various processes in cells. The consciousness is the result of such software, that is the work of the soul. And the information component of the software embedded in the DNA molecules.

According to the newest concepts, man has not one, but two systems of control. The first includes the brain and nervous system. In it to send commands are used electromagnetic pulses. In parallel, a second - in the form of the endocrine system, in which the media are of particular biological substances - hormones.

Nature, or the Creator also took care to ensure the autonomy of the endocrine command system. Until recently it was thought that it only consists of glands of internal secretion. However, according to the doctor of medical Sciences A.belkin, on the eighth-ninth week of pregnancy brain cells in the embryo become detached from its parent and migrate throughout the body. They find a new home in all major organs - the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, according to the latest data - even in the skin. And, the most important organ, the more of them there anymore. Therefore, if for some reason our “commander in chief” - the brain ceases to perform their functions, they may take on the endocrine system. It is in the DNA molecules likely and stored “soul” - program, which together provide vital activity of the organism and conscious human behavior. That way you can imagine the scope of the mechanism of life after death. Although - what is, in fact, death? And when it comes to the body?