Death is a mystery. No one knows when it will come. Not just a matter of time, death also does not know will come while you are doing what. Maybe you've heard someone die in a sitting position, sleeping, or even when prostration while worshiping. Is there a human, can man die when he stands upright? If logically traced, it seems impossible because the gravitational force of the earth will pull down the body that no longer lives. But it turns out, standing dead conditions may just happen you know!
Dead standing is a rare phenomenon
In the medical world, standing dead is a term to describe a rigid mortal condition aka rigor mortis, which is also called a stiff death.
This rare phenomenon never happened to a soldier from Japan. Prajuit is known to die standing stiff after fighting to protect other prajuit. Ironically, no one knows that he has long died because of his standing position which is suspected to be watching the circumstances around.
Why would someone die in a standing position?
Died in a rigid body position due to the cessation of oxygen intake in the entire body after death. The absence of oxygen in the body causes the production of the chemical compound ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to come to a halt.
ATP is an important source of energy in the body. ATP is used to help muscles work (contracts when used and relaxes when rested). ATP also helps regenerate damaged muscle cells. As the intake of oxygen and ATP levels decreases, the body's metabolism also stops so the body gets stiff.
Generally stiff corpses begin slowly occur 3 to 4 hours after death. The body will be completely stiff after 7 to 12 hours. After about 36 hours or two days afterwards, the stiff muscles will regenerate. This muscle relaxation triggers the intestines to push and remove the remnants of toxins and fluids out of the body.
However, a person's risk of dying in a rigid state will be higher if shortly before the death of his body has spent a lot of ATP. For example by doing heavy exercise when the body is exhausted.
His body will be faster oxygen depletion so ATP thinned quickly. Finally, the body will be faster or directly experience kekauan when died. This is what causes a person to die standing suddenly.
In the case of a Japanese soldier, oxygen and ATP are thinned by fighting against hundreds of soldiers and their bodies are full of so many arrows from the enemy. A person with a deep wound attached to the body (such as arrows that pierce through the body) can keep the corpse's posture in a standing position and not bend when it dies.