Serenity and Angel Lust

I’ve just finished watching Serenity and yet again marvel at the idiocy that led to the cancellation of Firefly.  So much potential, eliminated by a few narrow minds.  Thank you again Nathan… it is a lovely gift.

Now.. on to Angel Lust.. or Erections at the point of death.  I was asked to expand on the subject so here it is…

A death erection, angel lust, or terminal erection is a post-mortem erection, technically a priapism, observed in the corpses of human males who have been executed, particularly by hanging.  

The phenomenon has been attributed to pressure on the cerebellum created by the noose.  Spinal cord injuries are known to be associated with priapism. Injuries to the cerebellum or spinal cord are often associated with priapism in living patients.

Death by hanging, whether an execution or a suicide, has been observed to affect the genitals of both men and women.

In women, the labia will become engorged and there may be a discharge of blood from the vagina. In men, “a more or less complete state of erection of the penis, with discharge of urine, of mucus, or of the prostatic fluid, is a frequent occurrence … present in one case in three.” Other causes of death may also result in these effects, including fatal gunshot wounds to the brain, damage to major blood vessels, or violent death by poisoning. Forensically, a postmortem priapism is an indicator that death was likely swift and violent

Courtesy of Wikipedia

 Further information can be found here