You're welcome. Just keep in mind John's comments, because he's correct – the kind of pain inflicted in your plot would really make it quite impossible for your villain's victim to remain conscious during the surgical assaults. She would have to either be sedated beforehand or would pass out very soon after each mutilation began. So the victim remaining conscious and sensate would be a total fantasy aspect to your scenario (a pretty sick scenario, I have to again say, but then again it IS a horror novel). Like John, I do always worry a bit that stories of this kind have the potential to plant ideas into the heads of criminal psychopaths in real life, but as there is no shortage of either (fictional horror stories or real-life psychopaths with ideas of their own), so I guess it's moot.
From: forensic-science@yahoogroups.com<mailto:forensic-science@yahoogroups.com> [mailto:forensic-science@yahoogroups.com]<mailto:[mailto:forensic-science@yahoogroups.com]> On Behalf Of chisum
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 1:43 PM
To: forensic-science@yahoogroups.com<mailto:forensic-science@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [forensic-science] Re: Writer's notes
Hi Bob, many thanks for the info. Obviously with what you mentioned, I would be using at as a guide-line. As you mentioned if parts of the organ are removed then the person could still live.
I will use that.
I would love to become as good as Stephen King, Cliver Barker etc. but have just had one book published at the moment, although I am working on a couple of others at the moment, with which one of them needed this info.
Thanks again.
Yours
Clive.
Clive Woollands,
Writing under the pseudonym: Robert H. Tempest, Author of Blood Moon.
www.offthebookshelf.com/authors/33-robert-h-tempest#584<http://www.offthebookshelf.com/authors/33-robert-h-tempest#584>
www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100001550838330<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100001550838330>
www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-H-Tempest-Blood-Moon/155595421153314?v=info#!/pages/Robert-H-Tempest-Blood-Moon/155595421153314?v=wall<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-H-Tempest-Blood-Moon/155595421153314?v=info#!/pages/Robert-H-Tempest-Blood-Moon/155595421153314?v=wall>
________________________________
From: Bob Parsons <parsonsr@ircrimelab.org<mailto:parsonsr%40ircrimelab.org>>
To: "'forensic-science@yahoogroups.com<mailto:%27forensic-science%40yahoogroups.com>'" <forensic-science@yahoogroups.com<mailto:forensic-science%40yahoogroups.com>>
Sent: Wednesday, 5 October 2011, 18:28
Subject: [forensic-science] Re: Writer's notes
That's a pretty gruesome story you have there. Angling to be the next Stephen King (and surpass him in the gross-out department)?
To answer your question, the major organs that are referred to as "vital organs" are essential to life and one cannot survive for long without any of them - namely, the brain, heart, lungs, liver and pancreas - but you can live with only portions of the lungs, liver and pancreas remaining, and even with small parts of the brain removed. The heart must remain intact unless replaced by an artificial heart, but survival with the best artificial hearts designed to date is difficult due to clotting problems, and ultimately temporary at best. You must also have at least one functioning kidney, unless subjected to twice daily dialysis to remove wastes from the blood. The gall bladder, spleen, and some endocrine glands can be removed without short-term harm, but the missing endocrine hormones must be provided artificially for long-term survival. Sex organs can be entirely removed without life-threatening consequences. You can live with major portions of the
stomach and intestines removed, so long as the remaining portions are properly connected together, or if the rectum is missing, with a colostomy port implanted to allow feces removal; however nutrition will suffer without careful diet adjustments and/or supplementation, and diarrhea may be a significant problem. If fed and hydrated intravenously, you can survive in the short term with the digestive tract entirely removed, but long-term survival is unlikely.
I have to tell you: there may be some horror fans who would buy your novel, but I doubt many mainstream readers would (I wouldn't). It's just too monstrously depraved a plot line in my opinion, but I could be wrong (I'm not a fan of the horror genre). Good luck anyway.
Bob Parsons, F-ABC
Forensic Chemist
Indian River Crime Laboratory
Ft. Pierce, FL
"The forensic scientist's goal is the evenhanded use of all available information to determine the facts and, subsequently, the truth."
American Academy of Forensic Sciences web site, Choosing a Career page
"If the law has made you a witness, remain a man of science. You have no victim to avenge, no guilty or innocent person to convict or to save - you must bear testimony within the limits of science."
Dr. P.C.H. Brouardel, 19th Century French Medico-legalist
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