Even at the dawn of civilization, the necessary information was obtained through painful torture. One of the most sophisticated is the torture of water drops. But what’s wrong with that? After all, water just drips on your head. After reading the article, you will be surprised how ordinary drops drove people crazy in the Middle Ages.
What is torture with drops of water?
This technique was invented in the 15th century by a doctor and lawyer from Italy, Ippolit de Marsili. But why then is this "interrogation tool" called Chinese? Chinese torture with a drop of water got its name to give an atmosphere of sinister mystery.
China also used this torture in practice. A person was buried in a deep hole (about 2 meters) so that he could not even move a finger. The head peeked slightly out of the ground. About a hundred centimeters above the head of a person was placed a kettle or a jug of water. The result was something very similar to a modern crane, only with low pressure.
The victim was left for a day alone with nature and dripping water. The effect was tremendous. Even a completely healthy person after this time went crazy and was ready to admit everything, even that he didn’t, if only they would dig him out as soon as possible and the water would stop dripping on his forehead.
Application history
This torture was used for several centuries by representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. This interrogation method was also used in the 20th century in secret CIA prisons. He was tested on his prisoners by US police in the 1930-1940s, French soldiers in the war in Algeria, Pinochet regime and the Khmer Rouge.
How does torture work?
The victim is seated on a chair or laid on his back. The head is fixed by means of a special mask so that a person could not turn around or somehow change the position of the body. Neither scratching, nor going to the toilet - nothing is simply impossible to do.
For torture, drops of water use cold water. Sometimes ice is added to it. So the effect of torture only intensifies. Ice water is dripping on the head and soon the victim seems that the brain itself begins to contract.
If most torture was designed to give physical pain, ancient torture with a drop of water was designed to cause psychological discomfort. Man literally goes crazy. The brain simply cannot stand the monotony. And this is the worst.
Water drips on your head for several hours or even days. Hands and feet are tied; a person cannot move a single part of the body. And, as a rule, he is in solitary confinement, where there is complete silence and only drops falling on his forehead are heard. In addition, the mouth is closed so that the person could not call for help.
What does a person feel?
When the torture begins, a drop of water on his head, the victim first came to a state of mild anxiety. Then terrible irritation arises. A man is desperately trying to get out of the ground or break the shackles. As a result, numbness and unconsciousness begin.
Every drop that falls on the forehead seems like a hammer hitting the very brain. After some time, the victim was ready to confess all sins. If you continue to torture, a person will go crazy or die.
Often in the Middle Ages, prisoners were simply burned at the stake or dumped into the river after he confessed to the crime. It didn't matter if he committed it or not. Most importantly, he confessed, and in the end justice overtook him.
What other torture related to water
In addition to torture with a drop of water on the forehead in the Middle Ages, there were other sophisticated ways of interrogating people with water. They can be called the general word "waterboarding" - a nightmare simulation of human drowning.
A huge public outcry was caused during the reign of Bush, when people learned about the use of this torture by US intelligence. Moreover, this method of interrogation was subjected not only to terrorists, but also to American citizens.
In many films about the mafia and gangsters, you can see how the victim is lowered upside down into a container of water, causing him to choke. This method is a distant relative of waterboarding, but is still considered scary, because water constantly fills the nose, mouth and head, resulting in a feeling of drowning.
Where and how did you use torture with water
- Representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. The victim was tied to a special structure, a cloth was tied over his mouth, after which he was abundantly watered with water. Water flooded the victim’s mouth, creating a drowning effect. The water jug was special, made just for such torture.
- In the Philippines, where water was poured into the mouth through a large funnel. It was here that the Americans first began to use this torture.
- In Vietnam during the war with the Americans. Some photos with such torture hit the pages of newspapers, after which thousands of people came out to the rally, demanding that the guilty soldier be punished in the same way.
What happens to a person?
If a prisoner simply goes insane when tortured with drops of water, he feels a catastrophic lack of oxygen when simulating drowning. When a person drowns, he remains to the last in consciousness. After the “shutdown,” the victim stops fighting, swallows water.
At this time, they usually give her a break, after which they renew the torture with renewed vigor until recognition is obtained. Due to a lack of oxygen, the human brain is damaged, and lung damage is also caused.
Now such and many other tortures are prohibited by the Geneva Convention. Waterboarding, as well as torture with drops of water, are outlawed and those who violate it will be equated with war criminals.
Despite the prohibitions, some countries still use these methods to “knock out the truth.” President of America Donald Trump has offered to return the torture with water for terrorists. And in 2018, in the UK, two cadets of the Royal Military Police tortured a man in this way.