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The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)

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Re: The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)

#5

Post by bcraven »

Zircom wrote: post #3
notamy wrote: post #2

(2007)

To be fair I don't think much has changed in the sword swallowing world since it's apparent inception in 2000BC.

Seemingly all the links have broken in the body of the article, so having the date would be useful to not expect too much.

Re: The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)

#7

Post by bb88 »

> (Neon tubes, by the way, have an added risk of shattering inside the throat, with seriously disabling and sometimes fatal effects.)

I was lucky enough in my life to see someone do exactly this -- he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it. Though for his performance, he used a metal cage around the neon tube. It prevented the esophagus from breaking it, but still allowed the light to escape out.

He opened up his shirt and allowed for 30 seconds everyone to see the light emanating out of his chest cavity. It was a truly remarkable experience.

Re: The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)

#8

Post by Someone »

bb88 wrote: post #7

> (Neon tubes, by the way, have an added risk of shattering inside the throat, with seriously disabling and sometimes fatal effects.) I was lucky enough in my life to see someone do exactly this -- he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it. Though for his performance, he used a metal cage around the neon tube. It prevented the esophagus from breaking it, but still allowed the light to escape out. He ope…

> he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it

I would not immediately believe a performer saying that. Saying something is extremely dangerous can be part of the performance.

In this case the tube may not have been made of glass, or there might have been a layer of plastic between the glass and the metal cage.

That wouldn’t make it zero risk, but certainly would have decreased the risk.

Re: The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)

#10

Post by adrian_b »

Someone wrote: post #8
bb88 wrote: post #7

> (Neon tubes, by the way, have an added risk of shattering inside the throat, with seriously disabling and sometimes fatal effects.) I was lucky enough in my life to see someone do exactly this -- he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it. Though for his performance, he used a metal cage around the neon tube. It prevented the esophagus from breaking it, but still allowed the light to escape out. He ope…

> he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it I would not immediately believe a performer saying that. Saying something is extremely dangerous can be part of the performance. In this case the tube may not have been made of glass, or there might have been a layer of plastic between the glass and the metal cage. That wouldn’t make it zero risk, but certainly would have decreased the risk.

The tube must have been made of glass, otherwise it could not keep the air out of the low-pressure interior.

However, you are right that a minimal precaution would be to wrap the tube in a transparent plastic film, preferably glued to the glass, in order to contain any broken shards.

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