Would the brain be damaged, or would everything just stick itself together instantly?
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With what sort of tool? Is it sterile? How quickly would the cut be complete?– Robert ColumbiaSep 12, 2017 at 8:27
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Picture instantly removing a slice from a person– Sam51Sep 12, 2017 at 13:55
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3I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it isn't about help as defined in the help center.– LuckySep 12, 2017 at 18:44
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Wait @Lucky, what do you mean "isn't about help?" We're trying to avoid medical advice help type questions... I agree it's not quite in scope, it is more a theoretical question like a worldbuilding.se question, or since it's about anatomy/physiology maybe biology would be better.– DoctorWhomSep 13, 2017 at 7:33
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Yes, the brain would be damaged, including the brainstem, which would almost certainly be nearly instantly fatal. The heart, spinal cord, esophagus, trachea, stomach, intenstines, liver, bladder and numerous major blood vessels, nerves and lymph vessels would also be damaged. Death would be nearly instantaneous.– Carey Gregory ♦Sep 13, 2017 at 17:54
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2 Answers
Adding to the above answer, the most immediate fatal events are:
While you can cut the corpus callosum effectively separating R/L cerebral cortex without killing the person, splitting your midbrain/brainstem is instant game over. Almost all signals to/from the rest of the body and cerebral cortex, including your heartbeat breathing and consciousness, originate or go through there. There are multiple points of crossover that you'd interrupt - there and throughout the spinal cord.
You'd transect critical vessels (the aorta at the arch, superior/inferior vena cavae, circle of Willis, dural sinus) so you'd both dump out massive blood volume in an instant, and stop all further circulation. Vessels don't auto-seal, even a small break can cause significant leaks. Transecting your CSF ventricles would drain the fluid from the brain.
answered Sep 13, 2017 at 18:16
A person is not a loaf of bread, but a network of organs at various positions that depend upon each other. What you are basically asking, would damage some organs by cutting them in half this rendering them useless, while others you would only cut off the blood supply, which would kill them. TLDR they would bleed out before anything else could happen.
