Slipping shoes and swan song. These signals are sent by the body before death. What are they about?

Although palliative care professionals often use this phrase, swan song is not a medical term, but rather a colloquial one. In this way, they determine the characteristic sound that a person who is about to die will make. What is it and where did this name come from?

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Where did the term “swan song” come from? Initially, it appeared in a fairy tale

According to the portal, the term “swan song” probably first appeared in the fairy tale “The cook, the goose and the swan” by Jean de la Fontaine. Threatened with death by the cook, the bird was about to start singing, which, due to the beautiful sounds it made, protected it from it. The wording itself is regarded as a phraseological combination used to describe the latest manifestation of creativity.

From a zoological point of view, the “swan song” refers only to whooper swans from Scandinavia, which made a characteristic scratching sound when faced with death. Today, it is most often used as a description of the last, significant gesture in an important, borderline situation, e.g. the end of a specific stage in life, or just death.

Swan song is a sign of imminent death. How else does a person die?

Swan song has also penetrated medicine, although it is definitely a colloquial term there, not a scientific one. It is often used by hospice workers when their patient passes away. – It’s like a scratching sound when breathing. The lungs stop working properly. Others are shallow breathing, glassy eyes, blue fingers, low blood pressure and oxygen saturation, Katarzyna Szubert, who has been helping terminally ill people for years, explained in an interview with “”. What else could indicate impending death? The most common symptoms include:

• weakness, drowsiness, reluctance to eat and drink,
• no response to stimuli,
• body weight loss and lowering of blood pressure,
• problems with sphincter control,
• the skin becomes more EP, and despite strong sweats also pale and cold,
• sometimes there are hallucinations and great disorientation,
• sudden agitation, appetite and a surge of energy, which, however, are temporary.

Those who die in accidents slip off their shoes. Why?

Rescue services, i.e. ambulance workers, police officers and firefighters indicate a different sign of death. They often mention that if the victim is not wearing shoes, he is probably already dead and saving him will not bring any results. They point out that it is common for fatal victims of accidents to have at least one slip off their feet. No matter how tight they were tied. From a scientific point of view, it is still unknown why this happens.