A note to Liam,
Thank you for the clarification, and the welcome. For the others, if anyone intends to use it, it's vagus nerve, not vegas, and there are a pair of them, with slightly different end-organ influences. And, Liam is right on the anatomy. I just want to further his point a little as a general statement. In the lower neck, as in most other areas of the body, the nerves and arteries are positioned very deep, frequently near structures that provide some protection. They are not all that easy to hit (many wrist slashers have numerous scars to drive home this point). That's because the arterial system is the high pressure system and damage will cause a much faster bleed. The veins are more superficial--they also have much lower pressure, so damage will produce a slower bleed. The exceptions are where the arteries have to cross joints or where they go to other body parts, so the carotid arteries are more exposed near the jawline as they pass into the head. To the very original question in this thread, if you want a drawn out death, go for a venous bleed, not an arterial one. No squirting, just a constant ooze.
On the subject of books, please don't just go for anatomy. Look for an old edition of a college Human and Anatomy and Physiology text. The new editions are expensive. New editions come out about every three years, so you should be able to get an old one. By the way, for anyone unfamiliar with the world of college texts, the high prices and three-year rule for new editions is due to the used book market. As authors, we can probably appreciate the rule. The projected sales of a new text declines over three years due to the used book sales so by the fourth year, the book sales will not make up for the associated costs. In the used book situation, none of the profits go the author or the publisher. Sorry for the side road. Nearly every major publisher has at least one Human Anatomy and Physiology text in production. I don't know if they'd give up old editions, or if they destroy them, but an inquiry wouldn't hurt. You may be able to get old editions for the cheap on Amazon.com--I haven't checked.
Remember your physiology as well as your anatomy.
Cheers to all, and happy slicing (on the page, of course).
Thank you for the clarification, and the welcome. For the others, if anyone intends to use it, it's vagus nerve, not vegas, and there are a pair of them, with slightly different end-organ influences. And, Liam is right on the anatomy. I just want to further his point a little as a general statement. In the lower neck, as in most other areas of the body, the nerves and arteries are positioned very deep, frequently near structures that provide some protection. They are not all that easy to hit (many wrist slashers have numerous scars to drive home this point). That's because the arterial system is the high pressure system and damage will cause a much faster bleed. The veins are more superficial--they also have much lower pressure, so damage will produce a slower bleed. The exceptions are where the arteries have to cross joints or where they go to other body parts, so the carotid arteries are more exposed near the jawline as they pass into the head. To the very original question in this thread, if you want a drawn out death, go for a venous bleed, not an arterial one. No squirting, just a constant ooze.
On the subject of books, please don't just go for anatomy. Look for an old edition of a college Human and Anatomy and Physiology text. The new editions are expensive. New editions come out about every three years, so you should be able to get an old one. By the way, for anyone unfamiliar with the world of college texts, the high prices and three-year rule for new editions is due to the used book market. As authors, we can probably appreciate the rule. The projected sales of a new text declines over three years due to the used book sales so by the fourth year, the book sales will not make up for the associated costs. In the used book situation, none of the profits go the author or the publisher. Sorry for the side road. Nearly every major publisher has at least one Human Anatomy and Physiology text in production. I don't know if they'd give up old editions, or if they destroy them, but an inquiry wouldn't hurt. You may be able to get old editions for the cheap on Amazon.com--I haven't checked.
Remember your physiology as well as your anatomy.
Cheers to all, and happy slicing (on the page, of course).