Pithing

Pithing

Pithing is a slaughtering technique in which the brain of the animal is scrambled with a tool inserted through the hole in the skull created by captive bolt stunning. Pithing further immobilizes the animal after stunning and before exsanguination.

This method also refers to a procedure used in biology classes to immobilize a specimen, by inserting a needle up through the base of the skull (from the back) and then wiggling the needle around, scrambling the brain. It allows for dissecting the frog, as well as observing its living physiology, such as the beating heart and expansion and contraction of the lungs, without causing unnecessary pain to the animal. The specimen remains living because respiration continues through the skin without cerebral control, but it feels no pain once the spine is initially severed.

Associated risks

Today, pithing is deprecated and not practiced on animals intended for the human food supply because it may lead to the spread of fragments of neural matter through the carcass. U.S. regulations are currently in place disallowing importation of beef from cows which have been killed in this manner due to risk of BSE ("mad cow" disease).


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