The basics: Drowning is when one's lungs fill with liquid and prevent them from taking in air. This can happen with any kind of liquid, from both internal and external sources, though the latter is generally what we think of. Yet plenty of ninjas have drowned on their own blood due to internal hemorrhaging. And there are stories of ingenious seals or jutsus that directly transfer liquid to the lungs...but I'm getting off topic.
Drowning can happen in any body of water that covers the mouth and nose. The body's instinctive reaction is to struggle for air, but when unconscious this instinct does not activate. Push an unconscious man face-first into a puddle, and he will die just as surely as if you dumped him in the ocean.
When deprived of oxygen, the body can take as few as ten seconds to fall unconscious, so drowning can happen quite suddenly. Victims, preoccupied with nothing more than keeping their head above water, rarely flail, and are unable to call for help. Generally they do not float, even when unconscious, though obviously someone face-down in the water will quickly drown.
According to accounts, it is a terrifying way to die, as the body and mind panic but are unable to reach out for aid, and desperation only kills the body quicker. A struggle to breath and remain conscious, but then failure and the certain knowledge that the loss of consciousness will result in death.
But all that is rather morbid. What interests me, personally, is the effects of cold water drowning, and the rare instance where the body can be put into a kind of hibernation if the water is at just the right temperature. Fascinating!
Was there anything more specific you would like to know?
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The basics: Drowning is when one's lungs fill with liquid and prevent them from taking in air. This can happen with any kind of liquid, from both internal and external sources, though the latter is generally what we think of. Yet plenty of ninjas have drowned on their own blood due to internal hemorrhaging. And there are stories of ingenious seals or jutsus that directly transfer liquid to the lungs...but I'm getting off topic.
Drowning can happen in any body of water that covers the mouth and nose. The body's instinctive reaction is to struggle for air, but when unconscious this instinct does not activate. Push an unconscious man face-first into a puddle, and he will die just as surely as if you dumped him in the ocean.
When deprived of oxygen, the body can take as few as ten seconds to fall unconscious, so drowning can happen quite suddenly. Victims, preoccupied with nothing more than keeping their head above water, rarely flail, and are unable to call for help. Generally they do not float, even when unconscious, though obviously someone face-down in the water will quickly drown.
According to accounts, it is a terrifying way to die, as the body and mind panic but are unable to reach out for aid, and desperation only kills the body quicker. A struggle to breath and remain conscious, but then failure and the certain knowledge that the loss of consciousness will result in death.
But all that is rather morbid. What interests me, personally, is the effects of cold water drowning, and the rare instance where the body can be put into a kind of hibernation if the water is at just the right temperature. Fascinating!
Was there anything more specific you would like to know?