How to Tell if Someone Is Dead
Do not fool around., Call the person's name., Ask outright if the person is playing dead., Poke the person a little., Check the pulse., Perhaps the easiest way to tell if someone is dead is by holding a mirror just under their nose or in front of...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Do not fool around.
If you genuinely believe someone might be comatose, severely injured, or on the edge of death, call an ambulance or medical officers immediately.
It is not a good idea to keep poking and prodding a person to see whether they'll come to; if a fast check of the person reveals nothing, get proper help immediately; they may not be dead but need medical aid fast.
If there is any chance at all of reviving a person, pursue it.
For emergency numbers pertaining to your location, see this guide. (Other emergency numbers can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number.) If you have a doctor who is able to make emergency house calls, call this person. -
Step 2: Call the person's name.
Ask "Are you okay?".
At the same time, standing or squatting behind the person, tap him or her on the shoulders, quite firmly.
This is standard first aid practice (you stand behind the person in case they react forcefully to being tapped and accidentally harm you; jump away after tapping). , Say something like: "This is serious, stop playing.
I am going to call the ambulance right now." If the person is fooling around, the action of going to the phone and dialing the number for help will most likely rouse the prankster to reveal the game.
Alternatively, if you suspect that the person is faking it, press your knuckles down on their sternum/breast bone a little.
This can either make the person laugh or, if you press a little too hard, react to feeling the uncomfortable pressure and cause them to fess up to make you stop. (Do not press so hard that it breaks the bone or harms the person; you are assaulting the person if you take it too far.) , If there is any sort of reaction, the person is likely to be alive; however, even this isn't a certain indicator either way, as an unconscious person may show no response, while a dead person may expel air and noise.
If the person seems to be sleeping, gently shake him or her. , Hold your fingertips to the person's wrist or neck (either side of the throat).
Wait for a pulse.
A pulse can be notoriously difficult to find, even for trained professionals.
This should not be taken as a definitive sign on its own.
Can you hear breathing? Basic first aid training requires you to check for breathing and wait at least 10 seconds before assuming someone isn't breathing. , If yes, they are not dead.
The back of a spoon can also be held under the nose; again, if it steams up, the person is not dead. , If the person is alive, the pupils may constrict.
Again, this is not a sole indicator (for example, drugs, a deep coma, eye surgery, or some other thing may interfere with or mimic this reaction) and it needs to be taken as one possible sign along with others., In the old days, snuff was often used to revived people who fainted.
Although the sniff test might revive someone who has fainted, it's a test of last resort (and really, by now you should be calling emergency services).
Possible smelly tests for aliveness include:
Cutting an onion in half.
Place under the nose of the person who is possibly dead to see if they can smell it.
If he/she is alive they would wake up right away.Using alcohol to wake them up.
Drop a few drops of alcohol on tissue paper or whatever you want and let them smell it. -
Step 3: Ask outright if the person is playing dead.
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Step 4: Poke the person a little.
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Step 5: Check the pulse.
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Step 6: Perhaps the easiest way to tell if someone is dead is by holding a mirror just under their nose or in front of their mouth for several minutes.Does the mirror fog up or is there condensation present?
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Step 7: Hold a flashlight in the person's eyes.
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Step 8: Find something that smells really strong and wave it under the person's nose.
Detailed Guide
If you genuinely believe someone might be comatose, severely injured, or on the edge of death, call an ambulance or medical officers immediately.
It is not a good idea to keep poking and prodding a person to see whether they'll come to; if a fast check of the person reveals nothing, get proper help immediately; they may not be dead but need medical aid fast.
If there is any chance at all of reviving a person, pursue it.
For emergency numbers pertaining to your location, see this guide. (Other emergency numbers can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number.) If you have a doctor who is able to make emergency house calls, call this person.
Ask "Are you okay?".
At the same time, standing or squatting behind the person, tap him or her on the shoulders, quite firmly.
This is standard first aid practice (you stand behind the person in case they react forcefully to being tapped and accidentally harm you; jump away after tapping). , Say something like: "This is serious, stop playing.
I am going to call the ambulance right now." If the person is fooling around, the action of going to the phone and dialing the number for help will most likely rouse the prankster to reveal the game.
Alternatively, if you suspect that the person is faking it, press your knuckles down on their sternum/breast bone a little.
This can either make the person laugh or, if you press a little too hard, react to feeling the uncomfortable pressure and cause them to fess up to make you stop. (Do not press so hard that it breaks the bone or harms the person; you are assaulting the person if you take it too far.) , If there is any sort of reaction, the person is likely to be alive; however, even this isn't a certain indicator either way, as an unconscious person may show no response, while a dead person may expel air and noise.
If the person seems to be sleeping, gently shake him or her. , Hold your fingertips to the person's wrist or neck (either side of the throat).
Wait for a pulse.
A pulse can be notoriously difficult to find, even for trained professionals.
This should not be taken as a definitive sign on its own.
Can you hear breathing? Basic first aid training requires you to check for breathing and wait at least 10 seconds before assuming someone isn't breathing. , If yes, they are not dead.
The back of a spoon can also be held under the nose; again, if it steams up, the person is not dead. , If the person is alive, the pupils may constrict.
Again, this is not a sole indicator (for example, drugs, a deep coma, eye surgery, or some other thing may interfere with or mimic this reaction) and it needs to be taken as one possible sign along with others., In the old days, snuff was often used to revived people who fainted.
Although the sniff test might revive someone who has fainted, it's a test of last resort (and really, by now you should be calling emergency services).
Possible smelly tests for aliveness include:
Cutting an onion in half.
Place under the nose of the person who is possibly dead to see if they can smell it.
If he/she is alive they would wake up right away.Using alcohol to wake them up.
Drop a few drops of alcohol on tissue paper or whatever you want and let them smell it.
About the Author
Sarah Myers
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Sarah Myers brings 11 years of hands-on experience to every article. Sarah believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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