Ultimate survival

[Trevorum]

'Hibernating' Man Survives for 3 Weeks

Dec 20, 8:34 PM (ET)

By HIROKO TABUCHI

 

TOKYO (AP) - A man who went missing in western Japan survived in near-freezing weather without food and water for over three weeks by falling into a state similar to hibernation, doctors said.

 

Mitsutaka Uchikoshi had almost no pulse, his organs had all but shut down and his body temperature was 71 degrees Fahrenheit when he was discovered on Rokko mountain in late October, said doctors who treated him at the nearby Kobe City General Hospital. He had been missing for 24 days.

 

"On the second day, the sun was out, I was in a field, and I felt very comfortable. That's my last memory," Uchikoshi, 35, told reporters Tuesday before returning home from hospital. "I must have fallen asleep after that."

 

Doctors believe Uchikoshi, a city official from neighboring Nishinomiya who was visiting the mountain for a barbecue party, tripped and later lost consciousness in a remote mountainous area.

 

His body temperature soon plunged as he lay in 50-degree weather, greatly slowing down his metabolism.

 

"(Uchikoshi) fell into a state similar to hibernation and many of his organs slowed, but his brain was protected," said Dr. Shinichi Sato, head of the hospital's emergency unit. "I believe his brain capacity has recovered 100 percent."

 

Uchikoshi was treated for severe hypothermia, multiple organ failure and blood loss from his fall, but was unlikely to experience any lasting ill effects, Sato said.

 

Doctors were still uncertain how exactly Uchikoshi survived for weeks with his metabolism almost at a standstill.

 

 

[theysawyoucomin']

This is interesting.

 

The big question is could he have come out of this all by himself or would he have died with out medical attention? Would he have lived by warming alone?

 

I know sometimes kids that fall through the ice survive when they should have died, but that is well documented and the docs know why.

 

From the too much info dept.:

A documentary stated that bears eat clay prior to their big winter nap. This clay plug forms and the end of their digestive tract. It acts as a wall and keeps out parasites. Holy biting bed bugs Batman!!!

[GernBlansten]

Fascinating. He was lucky it didn't drop below freezing because frostbite would have been a real danger.

"On the second day, the sun was out, I was in a field, and I felt very comfortable. That's my last memory,"

I've read that hypothermia is one of the most pleasant ways to die. Of course once the shivering stops.

[Trevorum]

yuch, owl!

 

My first thought was to grab some of this guy's DNA so we could one day clone astronauts for inter-stellar travel in deep-freeze !

[ASM915]

TREVORUM? WHAT ARE YOU DOING TREVORUM? TREVORUM? ARE YOU THERE TREVORUM?

 

Interesting. Here's a theory. Talking with my son and some others from the medical community, the discussion lead to barometric pressure and temperature. The thought was being up in the mountains if there was a 20-30 degree drop in temp. over a short period of time and a change in the barometric press., could this elicit a mammalian reflex? The concensus was the sudden cold against the face,

from air or water and any change in pressure against the face definitely could cause the reflex. But for 24 days. WOW!!

 

Trev., what movie is the first line from?

Oh, thanks for the email.(This message has been edited by ASM915)

[ASM915]

Theory 2: The ED doc on tonight wondered whether the guy had T.M. training, like a swami and put himself into a trance like state? Did the article give a recovery time?

My son was wondering if the guy was playing Nine Pins at the party before this happened? Maybe it was a Hairy Buffalo party gone awry. Talk about a modern day Rip Van W.