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Japanese man in mystery survival
BBC ^ | 21 December 2006 | Staff

Posted on 12/21/2006 4:32:14 AM PST by Cardhu

Japanese man has survived for 24 days in cold weather and without food and water by falling into a state of "hibernation", his doctor has said.

Mitsutaka Uchikoshi, 35, went missing on 7 October after going with friends to climb Mount Rokko in western Japan.

He had almost no pulse, his organs had shut down and his body temperature dropped to 22C (71F) when he was found.

Medics say they are still puzzled how he survived because his metabolism was apparently almost at a standstill.

Mr Uchikoshi is believed to have tripped and lost consciousness after leaving his party to descend from the mountain on his own.

"I lay down... in a grassy area, which felt good in the sunshine, and eventually I fell asleep," Mr Uchikoshi told reporters at a news conference at a hospital in Kobe, where he was treated.

"That's the last thing I remember," he said.

He was found by rescuers on 31 October.

"He fell into a hypothermic state at a very early stage, which is similar to hibernation," said Dr Shinichi Sato, who treated Mr Uchikoshi.

"Therefore, his brain functions were protected without being damaged and have now recovered 100%. This is what I believe happened," he said.

Mr Uchikoshi - who had been treated for severe hypothermia, multiple organ failure and blood loss - was released from hospital and returned home on Tuesday.

Professor Hirohito Shiomi, a hibernation expert at a university in Hiroshima, was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying the case was "revolutionary, if the patient truly survived at such a low body temperature over such a long period of time".

Scientists have for years suggested that human hibernation is possible, and could be used to slow cell death when treating fatal diseases.

An expert from the British Dietetic Association said that while it was possible for a person to go without food for a long time, lack of adequate fluid would rapidly lead to dehydration.

"I find it quite incredible that [Mr Uchikoshi] had no fluid at all," Dr Frankie Phillips said. "Physiologically that isn't possible."


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: hibernation; japan
Unusual story
1 posted on 12/21/2006 4:32:16 AM PST by Cardhu
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To: Cardhu

I will be gone for a couple of hours.


2 posted on 12/21/2006 4:33:06 AM PST by Cardhu
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To: Cardhu

Vey Sreepy


3 posted on 12/21/2006 4:38:04 AM PST by DainBramage
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To: Cardhu
lack of adequate fluid would rapidly lead to dehydration.

Well if you are hardly breathing then you are lossing very little water. Interesting.
4 posted on 12/21/2006 4:43:51 AM PST by TalonDJ
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To: Cardhu

"Physiologically that isn't possible."

Ummm, OK. Don't bears hibernate? Do they keep some bottled water in the cave there, so they can take a nip every now and then?


5 posted on 12/21/2006 4:54:33 AM PST by Hegemony Cricket (When music is banned, only the bands will have music.)
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To: Cardhu

God occasionally grants a miracle, just to remind us He's still there.


6 posted on 12/21/2006 5:34:49 AM PST by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?" (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help m)
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To: Cardhu
It was Rokko Oroshi that saved him:

Rokko Oroshi
Rokko oroshi ni sasso to
Soten kakeru nichirin no
Seishun no haki uruwashiku
Kagayaku wagana zo Hanshin Taigasu
O-o-o-o Hanshin Taigasu
Fure-fure-fure-fure

Toshi hatsuratsu tatsu ya ima
Nekketsu sude ni teki o tsuku
Ju-o no iki takaraka ni
Muteki no warera zo Hanshin Taigasu
O-o-o-o Hanshin Taigasu
Fure-fure-fure-fure

7 posted on 12/21/2006 5:40:00 AM PST by struggle ((The struggle continues))
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To: struggle

Gotta agree :)


8 posted on 12/21/2006 8:07:04 AM PST by Cardhu
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To: Cardhu

Sounds like a case of suspended anime.


9 posted on 12/21/2006 8:26:14 AM PST by Joe 6-pack (Voted Free Republic's Most Eligible Bachelor: 2006. Love them Diebold machines.)
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To: Joe 6-pack
That's funny. Thanks.
10 posted on 12/21/2006 8:36:28 AM PST by Brucifer (JF'n Kerry- "That's not just a paper cut, it's a Purple Heart!")
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To: Joe 6-pack

Sounds like a case of not wanting his wife to know where he's been for the past month.

I was hibernating. That's it! I was hibernating.


11 posted on 12/21/2006 8:51:22 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane
"That's it! I was hibernating."

LOL....I had an uncle who always retired to his "den" for a little R&R from my aunt. I guess he was hibernating there, too!

12 posted on 12/21/2006 8:54:30 AM PST by Joe 6-pack (Voted Free Republic's Most Eligible Bachelor: 2006. Love them Diebold machines.)
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To: Cardhu

Please do not alter article headlines (to avoid duplication).


13 posted on 12/21/2006 8:57:25 AM PST by Sidebar Moderator
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To: Sidebar Moderator

The headline was not altered:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6197339.stm


14 posted on 12/21/2006 11:01:13 AM PST by Cardhu
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To: Sidebar Moderator

Sorry the BBC must have changed their headline.


15 posted on 12/21/2006 11:10:06 AM PST by Cardhu
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