Dangers of Zombie Feasting

[SRP76]

We haven't had a zombie analysis thread in awhile, so I'll drag this up:

We know that zombies are usually impervious to decay and whatnot. But, I haven't seen anyone mention the effect of victim innards on the zombie.

The human body is loaded with all manner of corrosive fluids, dead-meat-eating bacteria, and whatnot. When a crew of corpses rips open some poor sap and begins eating, that stuff is bound to come splashing all about.

Just consider stomach acid. It's strong enough to break down a steak in a few hours, right? So wouldn't it eat its way into a zombie pretty deeply in any area it slops onto during a feast? Especially during large meals, where several zombie trap a dozen or so victims. There would be a large volume of stomach acid, intestinal fluids, and whatnot splattering all about, getting all over the dead.

Don't you think that could have at least some adverse effect on them, especially over the course of repeated feedings?

[MaximusIncredulous]

Don't you think that could have at least some adverse effect on them, especially over the course of repeated feedings?

Probably not. Even if all that acid and other muck would cause damage to zombie internals, it wouldn't effect their mobility or the urge to eat, much like Logan's corpse that had it's innards disconnected.

[MikePizzoff]

Probably not. Even if all that acid and other muck would cause damage to zombie internals, it wouldn't effect their mobility or the urge to eat, much like Logan's corpse that had it's innards disconnected.

I don't think he means just the internal organs of the zombie; they'd also get the acid on their hands and face/neck/chest, perhaps even other places accidentally. But if the zombies did, somehow, manage to get the acid into their internals without getting it anywhere on their body, I think that after the acid ate through their esophagus/stomach/intestines/whatever, it'd just keep going right through the muscle for a bit, and possibly even all the way out of the body. This could possibly, and literally, "cut" some zombies in half.

Nice thread, SRP.

[Trin]

Dr. Logan has the answer to that.

"Say hello to your Aunt Acid. Hello Aunt Acid."

[EvilNed]

I assume that once a person dies, the body stops creating these fluids, and that what there's left when the zombies get to the stomach, isn't enough to create an immediate "harm" to their bodies.

While this stuff can break down steaks and all manners of food, that also means that the body is actively helping it doing so, by producing more acid.

[Trin]

I agree with Ned. There's not enough and it is not that damaging.

If the assertion that the zombies would be harmed by brief expsosure to stomach acids were true then everyone would be dying by being barfed on.

Look at someone with esophageal reflux. The problem is that stomach acids are coming up the esophagus into the throat and mouth, causing things such as degradation of the lining tissues, teeth, gums, etc. This problem takes a long time and a lot of expsore to the stomach acids to become significantly damaging.

The topic does bring up something of interest though. Let's say a zombie "eats" human tissue. The zombie's stomach doesn't digest it. That means that the tissue sits in that confined space and the normal decaying process happens. Decaying tissue creates gasses that expand, sometimes to the point of being explosive. In all liklihood the zombies who had fed would start to look bloated in a matter of a week or so. Those who had eaten a lot would likely have their stomachs explode.

[MikePizzoff]

If the assertion that the zombies would be harmed by brief expsosure to stomach acids were true then everyone would be dying by being barfed on.


The thing is - zombies are composed of dead flesh; they're not a living organism, therefore it is possible that the stomach acids may have a different effect on a zombie. Also, I believe SRP wasn't talking about zombies feasting on a dead corpse, but a living human, so the acids would still be "being made" up until moments before consumption.

[MaximusIncredulous]

I would think a zombie would have to perform repeated attacks on a stomach full of acid to suffer any detrimental effects. Given the ever increasing number of zombies to humans, the ratio of living to dead would decline everyday, so a given zombie's feasting opportunities would decline pretty rapidly. Also odds are the part of the body eaten would be different with each attack if a zombie were lucky enough to find multiple victims. In the end, a given zombie would probably not receive enough concentration of stomach acid to cause any real damage to its body, except for skin ulcers at the most.

[Cinerary]

http://j.photos.cx/2uf5z87.jpg-56d-5fa-15c.gif

[Yojimbo]

http://j.photos.cx/2uf5z87.jpg-56d-5fa-15c.gif
Sorry, don't get it, except that watching the clip repeat like that is in fact making my stomach acid churn a bit, so maybe that was the point. :)


I would think a zombie would have to perform repeated attacks on a stomach full of acid to suffer any detrimental effects. Given the ever increasing number of zombies to humans, the ratio of living to dead would decline everyday, so a given zombie's feasting opportunities would decline pretty rapidly. Also odds are the part of the body eaten would be different with each attack if a zombie were lucky enough to find multiple victims. In the end, a given zombie would probably not receive enough concentration of stomach acid to cause any real damage to its body, except for skin ulcers at the most.
I concur with Max and the point that Trin made that the acid wouldn't do all that much damage. Cool thread all the same!