Asphyxia
Related: death - unconscious
Definition
Asphyxia is a condition of severe lack of oxygen supplied to the body. In the absence of remedial action it will very rapidly lead to unconsciousness and death. Asphyxia is the same as suffocation and anoxia. Asphyxiation is the act of causing asphyxia, usually by suffocation. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphyxia [May 2004]Autoerotic Asphyxiation
Autoerotic asphyxiation is the practice of self-strangulation, typically by the use of a ligature, while masturbating. The decrease of blood to the brain is said to heighten the sexual pleasure. It is a highly dangerous practice that results in many deaths each year.It is a popular subject in tabloids and celebrity gossip magazines, particularly when a celebrity dies as a result of suicide or other mysterious circumstances. Such was reputedly the case with the deaths of Jerzy Kosinski (in 1991) and Michael Hutchence (in 1997), though no evidence to support the claim was produced in either case.
The death in 1984 of Stephen Milligan, the British Conservative MP for Eastleigh, was a case of auto-erotic asphyxiation combined with self-bondage. This combination is particularly lethal.
An accidental death due to autoerotic asphyxiation is an important plot element in the film The Ruling Class (1972), starring Peter O'Toole. It is also important in Rising Sun, a movie starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, based on the book by Michael Crichton. It is also depicted in the movie Ken Park.
The book Acquisition of Power by Erika Barr (ISBN 1591293073) touches upon this subject. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoerotic_asphyxiation [May 2004]
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