Torture Week: Scavenger's Daughter

Today's torture device is the Scavenger's Daughter (also known as the Skevington's Daughter, or the Spanish A-frame), invented during the reign of Henry VIII (of course) by Sir Leonard Skeffington ("Scavenger" is thought to be a corruption of "Skeffington," as is "Skevington," because apparently people couldn't remember his actual name).  It is the opposite of the rack, in a way, as it compresses the body rather than stretching it.

Wikipedia

They were configured either as in the photo above, or in a more A-frame or triangular fashion.  The head went through the circular portion at the top, the hands went through the semi-circles where the A would be crossed, and the ankles went through at the bottom.  This caused the body to be crunched in a position where the knees would be forced against the chest and the thighs against the stomach.  It also kept the head bent downward.  This position caused the unfortunate person locked in one to bleed from the ears and nose (I'm guessing not right away, as I myself am able to press my knees to my chest without bleeding from my face).

If you consider yourself a torture aficionado (why the hell would you?), yet have not heard of this instrument, don't, well, torture yourself about it.  Documentation from the time suggests that it was rarely used.  You can see one for yourself on display at the Tower of London museum or the torture museum in Freiburg im Breisgau (where the above photo is from), if you happen to be in Europe.

Torture Week!!

So, in the vein of Discovery Channel's Shark Week, Horrible Things that Happen to People brings you Torture Week.  Or actually, more like Torture Fortnight, since I don't post every single day, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it as "Torture Week."  Mm, Torture Week.

I'm starting off with a review of The Big Book of Pain: Torture & Punishment Throughout History,
by Daniel Diehl and Mark P. Donnelly.  (I got it at the Ren Faire.  There were multiple books on the topic, but this seemed like the best.)

The book is laid out really well.  It starts out with a chapter on the philosophy behind torture (ie, "why do people do it?"), then a couple chapters on torture throughout different ages in Europe, a chapter on torture in the rest of the world, an encyclopedia of torture (!!), and closes with a "what does it all mean" type of thing.  It's got beautiful glossy pictures, a couple on each page, and two sets pages of gorgeous color photos. It's well written, and really interesting.  I really can't recommend it enough for people like me (and likely people like you, if you are reading this).

A few small drawbacks: One, it doesn't touch on torture in the 20th century at all.  The authors state that it would take an entire other book, which may be true, but I want to read that other book!  Two, it's more than a bit Euro-centric.  True, they have a chapter devoted to torture around the world, but that's one chapter for all the rest of the world for all of time.  But I already knew a lot about torture in Europe, and I really would have liked to learned more about torture in Asia, and Africa, and in America prior to white people getting all up in everyone's business.  They did not mention anything about Native America. 

The last problem I had with it is a little nit-picky.  I will never get used to seeing "Magna Charta," even though Wikipedia says it's an acceptable spelling.  In addition, they often misspell "grisly" as "grizzly."  WTF, YOUR BOOK IS ABOUT TORTURE.  MAYBE YOU SHOULD LEARN TO SPELL "GRISLY" BEFORE YOU START WRITING IT.

So overall, I really recommend it.  Coming up, I am going to focus on some of the different torture methods mentioned in the book and some others from the 20th century.

Overall: 4/5 skulls

Review: Obsessed

A double review today, of shows brought to you by the fine folks at A&E. 

First up is, as I have briefly discussed already, Obsessed.  (Which is helpfully available on Netflix.)  They show is primarily, as you may have guessed, a look at people's lives who live with OCD and/or other serious anxiety issues.  Each episode features two people with different "obsessions."  It begins by showing their obsessions and/or compulsions and how the subjects live with them.  They are each given a psychologist and the show tracks the progress they make (or occasionally don't) over 12 or so weeks.  The episodes are pretty hit or miss.  They are often pretty same-y, following the same few compulsions (your basic OCD ones of cleanliness, counting, &c.).  But some are fairly interesting (by which I mean less common), including the afore-mentioned Chronic Skin Picking, and one woman who couldn't stop thinking about abused animals.  It's also a pretty blatant example of what I like to call "info-porn"-- documentary style shows that are pretending to be made for educational and informational purposes, but are really pure entertainment, giving the viewer something to gawk at.  (Like this blog. -Ed.)  But I justify watching it, and in a way its very presence, because they are paying for treatment for people who often obviously could not pay for it themselves.

Overall: 2.5/5 skulls

Chronic Skin Picking

Chronic Skin Picking (or Pathological Skin Picking, or dermatillomania) is something I first really learned about from A&E's Obsessed (which I will review later).  It's similar to hair pulling, or trich, which is another impulse control disorder.  Except, y'know, with skin instead of hair.  As I was watching an episode about a poor girl who compulsively picked at her skin, I began thinking-- I sometimes pick at my skin.  I always thought it was normal.  I knew it was bad, but what if-- what if what I thought was normal was actually this disorder?  Or what if I didn't have it yet, but all it would take was one really horrible event in my life to trigger it?

Sitting there late at night, alone, of course I didn't think that this chick has a hole in her cheek and that therefore I likely did not have the same disorder. (I, myself, do not have a hole in my cheek.) I also remembered in the morning that I have actually had this conversation with many people who all admit to having picked at pimples, dead skin, cuticles, scabs, or some combination thereof.  It seems like one of those pretty normal things that everyone does but nobody talks about until you get caught doing it.  Surveys show that 60-80% admit to picking at their skin to some level, at some time.  But only about 1% have it turn into an actual problem.

You may be thinking, "But Erica, this doesn't sound that horrible.  Certainly not compared to the other stuff on your site."

But wait, my friend.  Chronic Skin Picking has been described by some researchers as more of an addiction than an OCD thing.  So the picking itself is rewarding.  Then you need your next fix.  Repeat enough times and you get wounds that can be life-threatening, and not just due to infection.  There was one woman who had to go to the hospital to get stitches, and couldn't help but pick at them, therefore taking the stitches out.  She then had to get more stitches... you know where this was going.  There was another lady who picked a hole through the bridge of her nose that required surgery.

The worst, however, was the woman who picked at the skin of her neck so much that she exposed her carotid artery.

Think about that.  Really think about what that would entail.  She picked all the way through her skin, the layer of subcutaneous fat, and the muscle to expose one of the main arteries in one's body.  I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like.  Would it even still hurt after awhile?

So, next time you are tempted to pop that zit but know you shouldn't, or someone gives you a hard time about picking at dead skin, just remember: it could be so much worse.

Sources/Further reading:  Wikipedia

Odlaug BL, Grant JE (September 2010). "Pathologic skin picking". Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 36 (5): 296–303  [look it up at your local library, or use an online journal database if you have access!]

Support & help for sufferers of Chronic Skin Picking. 

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and improved Horrible Things that Happen to People.

Here, you will find tons of true (and maybe a few iffy) gruesome stories about medical oddities, weird diseases, survival stories, freak accidents, violent crimes, and other horrible things that happen to people.  This is the type of stuff I love, and I would like to share my delightful discoveries I find during my light bedtime reading with the world.  I'll also include reviews of books, movies, television shows, and more that focus on horrible things that happen to people.


As a friend of mine quipped, "the entire internet should be this."


A quick note on what this blog is not:


This blog is not intended to poke fun at any disease, condition, or other happenstance.  I only name full names when the information is readily available in mass media, and do not mean to insult anyone.  That being said, I am not trying to pretend that I have only altruistic goals and merely strive to "inform" the public to "raise awareness."  Let's be honest.  If you are reading this, you have the same sick morbid fascination with this stuff as I do.  People like us can't look away; it enthralls us.  We need to know more.  So I compile these stories from all over the internet and other media.  For our sick entertainment.  We read them for the same reason drivers slow down to look at a crash-- morbid curiosity, pure and simple.


That being said, I do feel very guilty about making a blog for entertainment's sake that focuses on the suffering of others.  So whenever I can, I will post links for more information, to raise that awareness incidentally.  And if there is one, I will also post a link to a charity that helps any related causes.


Speaking of charities, many of the causes that need help are not super rare or exciting diseases.  And some of the most horrible things that happen to people can be quite banal.  So I close this opening post with a list of links to charities supporting causes that I personally feel very strongly about.


www.marrow.org Be the Match bone marrow donor registry.  There is no reason to not be a donor.
www.lls.org Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
www.cancer.org American Cancer Society
www.nmha.org National Mental Health Association/ Mental Health America
bbrfoundation.org Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.  Funds research in depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, anxiety disorders, Alzheimer's, and more.

Religion makes people do some weird things...

... such as squeezing the demons out of toddlers.

Seriously, who thinks that strangling a kid is going to make them more sane? And what is with the mom being covered in blood? These are some messed up folks.

For more exorcism goodness (this time in Romania), check out this movie, The Untyings.  It's a documentary made by a Romanian man who came to America and is returning to his home country to find out more about the surprisingly common practice of exorcism, and to learn why he himself was subjected to one as a young man.  There are mass exorcisms (including babies being exorcised!), travelers coming from incredible distances to be exorcised by the best, and bizarre reasons for exorcising your kid.

Overall it was a bit slow, and I wish it would have delved more into the bizarre.  But it was very interesting and worth the time to find and watch.

Rating: 3/5 skulls

Spiders found in boy's ear!

And, after a semester-long hiatus, we're back with the charming story of two spiders, Floaty and Drowny, found in a little boy's ear. He thinks they fell in while he slept. (Bet you're going to feel great going to bed tonight!) However, the Straight Dope takes a look at the video that accompanies the news story (see below), in which they claim that there were two spiders, and they must have been surviving on the kid's earwax. The Straight Dope tells us that not only is the concept of spiders eating earwax total bullshit (my words, not theirs), but that it's clear in the video that it is not two spiders, but one spider along with his molted exoskeleton.

Also, apparently a spider walking around in your ear canal sounds like Rice Krispies. Hungry, anyone?

Article at CNN
Video at Youtube
Re-examination of video from the Straight Dope