When the human body dies, why does its mass decrease, when the soul leaves it?

The thing is that the mass of the body *doesn't* decrease upon death. That idea is based on a 100-year-old experiment, in which a single subject lost 21 grams upon death (subjects who didn't show this loss were all excluded from the conclusions). Assuming even a lightweight patient, that's a 0.04% change in weight... on a jury-rigged scale made out of a bed, holding a patient that shifted around, and was poked and prodded by doctors. No one since has been able to replicate the experiment.

The first step in explaining a phenomenon is demonstrating that that phenomenon actually exists in the first place. That hasn't happened in this case. Until someone DOES show that the body loses mass upon death, and other scientists can reproduce the results, coming up with an explanation is just wasting breath.

The answer is actually that the study was made in 1907 by a Dr. Mc Dougall. He found a loss of 3/4 of an ounce of weight was registered on the scale upon which the subject's bed was placed.

Since the subject was a dying rest home patient, there was a way to allow him to be there leading up to the subject's actual demise.

Mc Dougall measured the loss and had the data he sought.

He also measured the same test using 5 other subjects, waiting for their natural death. He showed a measurable amount of loss on

3 others but they were not as high readings.

When Mc Dougall published, he did not tout the data of the other patients, just the highest reading.

Attempts were made to discredit the man. The fact that he did not use the data of the other patients was their basis.

Attempts were made to then discredit his data.

They cited two of his patients data should not be used.

Having his findings and having completed his study, he did not seek to study it further and died in 1920 himself.

Another study was conducted stating the 21 grams or 3/4 of an ounce was explained away by loss of sweat and evaporation of that sweat.

It seems to me the subject's pajamas or nightshirt and the bedclothes would prevent the evaporation in Mc Dougall's

time of reference to his measurement. But rather absorb it and the weight measurement stood for Mc Dougall's acceptance.

There is a common belief that the human soul has a mass (about that much - 22 grams) but the human body is full of air when it's alive (that's lost when respiration stops) so there should be some loss of mass at that point

A scientist actually did this experiment and he did find it true that the mass of body decreases once the body dies.

I'm sure weight goes down as the lungs and bowels deflate and relieve themselves, and cells and organs turn acidic and eat themselves up in a bodily attempt at mass suicide. Add to that the lack of liquid reproduction.

How long are we waiting, here? Because the dead body's gonna get lighter and lighter and lighter over time as more and more stuff is removed, or fails to reproduce. Within MOMENTS of death - literally seconds - your body is eating itself. Unless you've set measures in place to stop it.

This sounds like a Christian myth. Like everyone converting on their deathbed, everyone seeing heaven/hell, etc, etc.

It doesn't, this is just a myth told by theists. One with no data to support it.

The idea is based on a 1907 study which only had six data points. Two of which were discarded, and two others yielded inconclusive results.

http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2007/03/doe...

I'm calling BS since a soul has never been identified.

Read the whole article. The "experiment" is revealed as a fraud.

It doesn't