ALL ABOUT CRUCIFIXION

Crucifixion was prevalent in Persian countries during 300-400 BC but introduced as a punishment by the Romans later. The victims on the cross dies by suffocation, loss of body fluids and multiple organ failure. "The weight of the body pulling down on the arms makes breathing extremely difficult." Says Jeremy Ward, Psychologist at Kings College,. London. In addition, the heart and lungs would stop working as blood drained out through wounds. 

Those accused of robbery were often tied to the cross with ropes, because they could better support their weight with their arms, might survive for several days. One of the most severe methods of crucifixion was to put the arms straight above the victim. That can kill in ten minutes to half an hour as it is just impossible to breath under those conditions.

Someone nailed to a crucifix with their arms stretched out on either side could expect to live for no more than 24 hours. 7 inch nails would be driven through the wrists so that the bones there could support the body's weight. The nail would sever the median nerve, which not only cause immense pain but would have paralysed the victim's hands. The feet were nailed to the upright part of the crucifix, so that the knees were bent at around 45 degrees. To speed death, executioners would often break the legs of their victims to give no chance of using their thigh muscles as support. It was probably unnecessary, as their strength would not have lasted for more than a few minutes even if they were unharmed. Once the legs gave out, the weight would be transferred to the arms, gradually dragging the shoulders from their sockets. The elbows and wrists would follow a few minutes later; by now,  the arms would be six or seven inches longer. The victim would have no choice but to bear his weight on his chest. He would immediately have trouble breathing as the weight caused the rib cage to lift up and force him into an almost perpetual state of inhalation.

Suffocation would usually follow, but the relief of death could also arrive in other ways. "The resultant lack of oxygen in the blood would cause damage to tissues and blood vessels, allowing fluid to diffuse out of the blood into tissues, including the lungs and the sac around the heart," says Ward. This would make the lungs suffer and make breathing even more difficult, and the pressure around the heart would impair it's pumping.

(Indebted to the article, How did crucifixion kill, by Alok Jha in the Guardian)

K V George