The
Lazarus reflex, sometimes called the Lazarus
sign, is one of the most fascinating of all human reflexive actions. When you think of reflexes, you probably think first of the
patellar reflex which the doctor tests by pinging a little rubber hammer just under your knee, causing your leg to jerk. The Lazarus reflex is a bit more involved then that. Observed in persons who have been oxygenated and then de-oxygenated after suffered
brain death, its manifestation is the brain-dead person slowly lifting their arms and folding them over their chest. Okay, you have to see it to believe it --
and in this vid, the person starts doing this about twenty seconds in. This startling development can come as a shock to the uninitiated, and lead to a mistaken belief that the person is coming to, and that resuscitative efforts ought to be attempted. To the
religious, naturally, it is easy to interpret as a
miracle.
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