Macabre, Yes! -But Perhaps a Survival Prospect.

I just got to thinking, -that in a Survival / Stranded Situation, -including an "Injury one", -should an Arm, Leg (whole or in part), or other Body Part become Fully or Nearly Amputated, (or even if one Deliberately does such an Amputation, -towards Food Needs), -This can possibly become a Food Source. Cooked or Non-Cooked. Hopefully Cooked/ Cured/ Dried, etc. It could of course make for a Crucial Life or Death Difference!

As I said, -Macabre Yes! But a Vital Survival Prospect! -Perhaps also Yes!

Even those Opposing or Unable to Bring themselves to Cannibalism, -might not mind to out of Vital Neccessity, -"Eat their Own Arm"! (If the Crunch came to Shove!, -I would certainly Eat Mine!). [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]

From what I know, "eating the dead" has long been considered a reasonable last resort for survival. It has been documented in many ship wrecks and expeditions gone bad.

I certainly can't see any short or long-term benefit to amputating and consuming one's own body parts. The risk of infection would likely come into play too. Actually the body's self-consumptive tendancy during starvation kind of does uses the body for nutrition anyway.

I *do* mean doing such only when Absolutely Neccessary, -as a Last Resort!

I'm in *No* way eager to "Cut and Eat my Own Arm", -for anything less!!! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]KenK[/email]

Macabre, absolutely, plausible, I think so. I agree with KenK though, and would add blood loss (even with a turn-a-kit) as a huge risk.
What are ‘you’ willing to do to survive is a useful mental exercise? I always try to keep in mind that being in one of my hypothetical worst-case scenarios would be almost infinitely different though. A friend of mind has said that he wouldn’t want to live through anything that would require him to eat another person. Me, I figure, human is probably the other white meat;)

I read about a man doing this in the old West. He was stranded, and eventually cut a fairly large section of the front of his thigh off the bone and ate it. There was a photo of the leg by a handy photographer.

I would rather eat someone else. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Interesting sidenote on cannibalism in survival situations:
As different parts of the body shut down from starvation, in a latter stage the "moral" centers of the brain shut down and things like cannibalism and any repulsion toward the thought of it fall away.

At least that's what a show that covered famous cases such as the Donner Party and others made note of on the Discovery Channel.

The term "moral" above may not be the right word... It's all that is coming to mind at the moment...

Unfortunately, they also mentioned that once the body is sufficiently nurished and begins to function normally the act of cannibalism in some cases caused an enourmous amount of grief in survivors. In others, the people who had to resort to cannibalism just looked upon it as something that had to be done for them to survive.

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "Eat Me!"

(Sorry, someone had to do it...)

As to your last sentence, -Thats a Good, Humorous way of looking at it! Good to add some Comic Relief here! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]MichaelJ[/email]

Yeah, -I know, -along with "Moral Center", you mean "Ethical", etc etc etc.

On Cannibalism etc in general, -and I mean Neccessary and only Neccessary Cannibalism, -I personally would not mind, and would give the OK to, -others eating me once (and Only once), -I had Naturally or in a True Accident, had Passed. (I certainly wouldn't want anyone Lopping me Off!, -or otherwise "Accelerating my Demise, -just to so satisfy such a Cannibalism Neccessity!)

(Also, -we've had a Discussion or two on this, -in this or other Forums here before). [color:"black"] [/color] [email]Nicodemus[/email]