Did you know that this was possible?
By kris182_2000
@kris182_2000 (5453)
Canada
April 27, 2011 10:18am CST
I was watching a dvd last night, and in the story, a woman scratched her head all the way through the bone and was oozing brain matter.
Did you know that this was possible to do? I didn't think it was, so I looked it up.
I found an online article from the New Yorker last night, there was a story that I read about someone who really did this.
I was shocked to read that it was really, in fact, possible to do such a thing.
I guess bones don't have nerves, so you can't feel pain if you're scratching through it, but wouldn't you be disturbed if you scalp was raw from scratching it so much? It would seem that once you'd gotten though all the skin, there would be no more nerve endings to tip you off, or warn you that you'd gone too far.
I just don't see how this can happen, but I guess it's plausible. I'd like to see a medical journal that has a documented case of this though, that would definitely answer this question.
9 responses
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
27 Apr 11
I don't know. Have you ever touched a bone? I don't think I could scratch through one if I was trying for hours, especially a skull? Send it in to Myth Busters and let's see what they say. :)
@kris182_2000 (5453)
• Canada
27 Apr 11
In the show, she did it while sleeping, and in the article I read, it took longer than that to do it.
The skin of the scalp isn't as thick as the rest of your bod, and the skull itself isn't that thick either.
But it would definitely take longer than a few hours to get through it all.
@miracle1986 (4)
• United States
27 Apr 11
I suppose that this could be possible if there was an infection in the scalp. This could have caused the skin to become raw causing the nails to scratch through it, gross.
@kris182_2000 (5453)
• Canada
27 Apr 11
It is. But to be able to scratch through bone, you'd think that it would be more difficult.
@GardenGerty (160708)
• United States
28 Apr 11
There are many things that at least in theory are possible, but not very probable and I would think that they would see gunk on their comb, or someone would tell them. I wonder what the consequences of doing this are.
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
28 Apr 11
I didn't know that is possible. The brain is inside the skull which is of a hard bone. So, how could she have scratched all the way to the brain?
Besides, hard scratching will give you a sharp throbbing pain in your scalp, so it will be a signal for you to stop. That's incredible, but as you said it's true. 
@jasmin_niza (362)
• Philippines
28 Apr 11
I can't believe it's possible. The skull is very hard, and even before you go to the skull, if you scratch you're scalp too much, it will hurt and once we're hurt it is an automatic response to stop the hurt, therefore stop scratching.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Apr 11
hi Kris no I just cannot believe that as my grandpa would say,prove it as I'm from Missouri. He really was too. I mean come on bone is bone and your finger nails would break first so no I really think some wild exaggeration and maybe downright lying was done that time. I would need
proof from the American Medical Association myself. I had a bad fall February 15th and landed face down on the floor. I had cuts over my nose and eye and heavy bleeding but it did not cut through the bone. I just do not believe you could scratch through the bone to brain matter at all.
@petersum (4522)
• United States
27 Apr 11
I think you should search among the mental illness articles. You would have to be crazy to do that, sleeping or not! I don't believe it is possible. Surely the bone of the skull is harder than your fingernails.
I suffer from dandruff and scratch quite a lot but never in my sleep!
Medical journals do make fascinating reading. It can become a rather morbid hobby. There are a lot of strange things to be found in them, much of which you wouldn't believe.
