Tortures

ANCIENT TORTURES

Throughout this blog I will be discussing the dark side of the human race. People have been ingenious in the different methods of torture they have created. We will explore these in depth and show you the gruesome reality of our ancestors and the refined techniques that we use today.

The Judas Cradle

This is the Judas Cradle. It was used by the Spanish Inquisition. This was organised by Spanish Catholics and so-called heretics would be tortured so that they would convert their faith. The victim is tied to the top of the spike and slowly lowered onto it. The spike slowly penetrates up the anus and tears it apart. It was rarely cleaned so dried blood and flesh covered the surface.

It was an instrument of torture but had some vital flaws in it. These range from the amount of time it took for it to penetrate someone and it was difficult to use. Some of the basic principles were taken away and refined to become methods of torture such as the Iron Maiden and the Pear of Anguish.

Pear of Anguish

This is the pear of anguish. The torturer would insert the pear up the vagina, anus or the mouth and the screw would be turned. The separate leaves would expand tearing and mutilating the inside of the body. It was used on liars and homosexuals/ adulterers. You can see the twisted irony that is employed here to deter people from homosexuality.

The pear was not usually washed so infection was very common but it would not be the primary cause of death. Blood loss and shock were the main cause of death. So-called witches suffered this fate and if they did not die of this were later burned.

The Iron Maiden

The iron maiden is basically an iron sarcophagus. The victim would be strapped inside with chains and the door would slowly be closed and the spikes on the door would slowly penetrate the victim. The spikes would be strategically placed to not puncture any vital organs but it would stab out the eyes and cause severe pain. The victim would certainly die later but if he converted, the Spanish would have seen this as a success and he was a 'martyr' of the Catholic faith.

This is another invention of the Spanish Inquisition and at the same time the victim is being interrogated. This has been used in many cartoon programs such as ‘Tom and Jerry’ and 'Simpsons'.

The Rack

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The victim would be literally pulled apart until the rope or his body give way and rip into two pieces. It is a horrible way to go and is one that nobody should experience.

Henry the eighth wanted to get rid of his current wife Anne Boleyn but still wanted to remain popular. Thomas Cromwell, his advisor and Chancellor, decided to torture people who were close to here such as her brother. These people could not withstand the pain and confessed to having sex with her. They knew that they were going to be executed after this but still gave a false confession that is how desperate they were. Anne Boleyn was executed with the lot of them and Henry VIII was seen as the victim in the publics' eyes. This shows the way propaganda can influence peoples' views.

Modern Tortures

Now I will explore the modern innovating inventions that have shaped the way we see torture and the way we live.

Electric Shock

This form of torture is probably one of the most painful and is not messy in any way. A current ,up 75,000 volts, is passed through a victim who promptly jiggles up and down in agony. It requires a lot of equipment and it not cheap at all. When the torturer has not got the equipment readily available, he can connect wires from the victim to a car battery.

It is also a risky form of torture as if the person has a heart condition, there is a huge chance of death. The victim may be left with burns, even more severe heart conditions and neurological effects as well. The electric current can be faulty and produce light radiation which can break or damage the bones/ organs irreparably.

Now policemen carry tasers which can re-create these circumstances. These have the purpose of a deterrent but are misused as several, innocent people have died.

Psychological Torture

This involves in no way any physical pain but it is a very hard form of torture to perform as some human psychological knowledge is necessary. The torturer has to destroy the victim's self-image and place him in an extremely uncomfortable environment. He must feel helpless and be in an emotional trance. A more rapid way of doing this is making him be naked, depriving him of sleep and not letting him sit or lie down. Then the patient is subjected to a mock execution, at this point he is distraught and if done correctly will confess.

A legal version of this is a process called aversion therapy which was used on homosexuals and criminals in the 60's and 70's. The torturer put chemicals into the patient to make him feel ill then he was forced to watch films of violence or homosexuality. His brain linked the pain with homosexuality, so he never wanted to return to his old sexual habits. This works but the will to do it still exists and it is inhumane to oppress a natural urge. People actually volunteered for this and this is outlined perfectly in the controversial book ' A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess. This was later adapted into a film by Stanley Kubrick.

Water Torture

This form of torture is cheap and some types can be performed rapidly. There are four types of water torture; forced ingestion, dunking, water boarding, and irregular dripping. I will start with the most brutal of them which is dunking. Here a person has his head forced into water repeatedly, if not done properly the victim may drown. The only way to stop is if the person confesses. This was done in the Middle Ages where they had something called 'Trial by Ordeal'. A witch would be thrown ,in a bag, into a lake. If she drowned, she was not a witch, if she survives she is a witch. If this occurs the witch would be burned.

Forced Ingestion is the most disgusting form of water torture and it is obvious what happens because of the name. The victim has water gushed into his stomach. Then he is allowed to vomit out the liquid. This process is repeated several times until the cells in this stomach expand and explode. This is called osmosis and when this has begun the victim's hours are numbered. The victim is sent into state of utter agony and will confess to whatever.

Water boarding is a false drowning, it gives the victim the sensation of water gushing down his throat. A cloth or plastic is placed over the victim's mouth and it leaves no signs of torture.

Irregular dripping or Chinese Water torture shows a deep understanding of human psychology as the torturer knows that the brain looks for patterns between the drips. Drips of water fall on the victim's forehead and the mind looks for a regular pattern between the drips. If it cannot find one it will drive the victim to insanity. Cold water and uncomfortable positions exacerbate the sense of misery the patient is feeling.

Conclusion

The uses of torture have changed over the centuries, the ancient tortures focused on pain and were not used to obtain vital knowledge or information but for political reasons. The Spanish Inquisition wanted people to convert but they knew that the people they tortured would die. They were supposed to deter people from other faiths. In practice, it had the opposite effect thus creating many martyrs and giving the Catholic religion a bad reputation.

Modern torture moves away from complex devices and into the deep psychology of the human mind and reactions to certain circumstances. The purpose of tortures has also changed and is mostly used because of necessity. Matters of National Security are seen as exceptional circumstances and therefore can require torture. Although this frowned upon as described in the 'Geneva Convention'. Military wars also need to obtain vital information of the enemy and can do so through torture. Many people have argued that this can work against them as false information may be given just to ease the pain. This can often be worse then the truth as this may leave them unprotected where the enemy really is.