Chloroform

Chloroform has disappointed me lately.

Working on Hostage (working title), well, obviously the title implies some sort of being taken into captivity. We've all seen the chloroform-soaked rag covering the face until the victim loses consciousness; it was the obvious way to go.

Unfortunately, I like things being accurate, and I'm curious. I started doing some internet searches to find out how fast it works, how long she would stay unconscious, and what waking up would be like. The middle question was the one that complicated everything. It only puts you out for 2-3 minutes.

Chloroform is not a sleeping potion. It's an anesthetic, keeping you out while you are inhaling it. Knocking someone out before transporting them seemed practical, but keeping them out while transporting them would be pretty dangerous, especially without a qualified anesthesiologist and monitoring equipment. They don't even put you out for surgery unless they have to.

This resulted in searches for other ways of rendering someone unconscious. I know if you're arrested for a crime, they do check your browser history, and mine would look pretty bad right now. I have no criminal intentions, so I'm probably good, but it does feel a little dicey. (But not as much as that guy who seemed to be looking for a way to do it in real life, and not just for writing something.)

Sometimes you see people being injected with something, but I can't find any subcutaneous sedatives. If it has to be intravenous, that can be hard to do on a struggling person in a dark room.

Sleeper holds can be hard to administer correctly and not a lot of people know how to do them. More to the point, I could never feel comfortable portraying one, as I associate them too strongly with police disregard for human life. (That's not just Eric Garner either, because I still remember Lloyd Stevenson.)

Knocking someone unconscious with a blow to the head is even worse. To hit hard enough to result in unconsciousness without resulting in serious injury is kind of a misnomer, because the unconsciousness makes it a serious injury. Odds are good of them having some memory loss, or lost sense of smell, or some other lasting damages. (I know people are talking about chronic traumatic encephalopathy a little now, but that could go a lot farther.)

It may be resonating more with me now because I have been reading a lot about brain function anyway, especially in regard to memory, and it's a fascinating thing. There are interactions that you wouldn't expect, and there is plasticity and healing power that can be miraculous, and yet there is also a real fragility. It's a good reminder of why you don't just hit people - even if they are annoying, or low down, or protesting your candidate. Assault is illegal and it should be.

And even though real life appears to be more boring than the movies, it can be more endlessly fascinating. Knowing more, it is even more impressive to me that he did pull off the kidnapping. It takes a lot more skill than I had previously anticipated.