9 Stomach Turning and Scary Facts About Death and Dying

The fear of death is common, and it’s not hard to see why. Dying is associated with pain and suffering, and people may worry about what will happen to their loved ones when they are gone. At the same time, individuals may have more abstract fears, such as ceasing to exist or being punished in the afterlife. Plus, some people may fear the unknown since there’s no way to know exactly how and when they’ll die and what will happen afterward. And that leads to the fear of loss of control, since no matter what a person does, their death is inevitable. 

Many, if not most, horror media centers on death in some capacity, from slashers to ghosts to zombies to cannibalism. But the truth is stranger than fiction, and the truth is definitely spookier than fiction. So here are some bone-chilling facts about death.

There are more than 200 frozen corpses on Mount Everest

Climbing Mount Everest is a difficult feat not everyone survives. A 2015 study by the BBC estimated there are over 200 bodies there, the highest concentration between 26,600 feet up and the summit. The mission is so dangerous that every climber is legally required to pay insurance to cover the cost of their rescue and recovery in case something goes wrong. However, not all bodies are recovered, especially those who fall into deep crevasses or are buried by avalanches. 

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Europe’s bog bodies have been preserved for centuries

Bogs in Northern Europe are preserving dead bodies that are being uncovered one by one. The acidic, low-oxygen bogs prevent microorganisms from properly breaking down organic tissue. So there are more than just bones beneath the mud and moss. Body parts such as brains, eyeballs, and fleshy limbs have been found there. Experts believe that bog bodies are the result of human sacrifices, murders, and accidental deaths.

Victorians took photos of the dead

Photography became increasingly popular and affordable in the mid-1800s. So they became a way for the family to immortalize loved ones. Remember, this was a time when many children didn’t survive adolescence because of rampant diseases. Sometimes the photographers would paint over the photo to make it appear as if the deceased’s eyes were open. As healthcare improved and children’s life expectancy lengthened, death photography fell out of demand.

Children die from falling televisions

People warn about the dangers of children watching too much television, but the danger persists even when the screen is off. Between 2000 and 2019, 451 children under the age of 17 in the U.S. were killed when TVs and furniture fell over and crushed them. Additionally, over 11,000 children per year between 2017 to 2019 went to the hospital for furniture-tipping injuries. Remember to anchor furniture like bookshelves, dressers, and TVs into the wall.

Deadly pufferfish are a delicacy in Japan

Fugu is a dish made of sliced Tiger pufferfish served sashimi-style. The flesh of Tiger pufferfish is safe to eat but the other parts such as the blood, eyes, liver, etc. are extremely poisonous. They contain tetrodoxin, and only 2 milligrams of it can kill a person. In the past, the fish may have been eaten out of necessity, but now it’s a luxurious dish prepared by chefs who passed two years of specialized training. Up to 50 people become sick with pufferfish poisoning each year, though most cases occur because amateur chefs try to cook it at home. 

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King Charles II used a tincture made from human skulls

For several hundred years, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans ingested remedies made from human bones, blood, and fat. In 1685,  King Charles II of England had a stroke and began to drink “The King’s Drops,” his personal remedy made of alcohol and 50 pounds of crushed human skulls. Although the potion didn’t save his life, the custom of cannibalistic medicine continued until the 19th century.

People can suffer from walking corpse syndrome 

Walking corpse syndrome, also known as Cotard’s syndrome or nihilistic delusion, is a rare disorder where people fall under the delusion they are dead or don’t exist. Alternatively, they believe parts of their body are missing or rotting. They may stop eating or speaking as a result. The syndrome usually accompanies severe clinical depression and other mental disorders, as well as neurological conditions like dementia, stroke, brain tumors, brain infections, and head injuries.

People are aware they have died

Researchers have investigated near-death experiences (NDEs) and found that people experience a state of hyper-alertness before dying. That may explain why individuals who survived NDEs report having awareness of the doctors and nurses around their body, and they could recount what the others were doing and saying while they were “dead“. Scientists believe the brain stays alive for about 20 seconds even when the rest of the body has shut down. 

Death isn’t as scary as people think

Because of the fear of death, people like to avoid the topic. And since it’s not discussed, dying feels even more terrifying and confusing. The thing is, death is just a process, according to palliative care doctor Kathryn Mannix. It begins with people slowly becoming more weary, and sleeping more and more. “They tell us they’ve had a good sleep,” she says on BBC Ideas. “So we know that this coma doesn’t feel frightening.”

Then they become so relaxed, they become unconscious. “There will be a period of shallow breathing and then one out breath that just isn’t followed by another in breath,” says Mannix. It’s such a gentle process that often the families don’t notice the person has died. She encourages people to talk about death so they can know what to expect and find solace in the experience.

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