A middle-aged man and his son in Ngoc Son, Hiep Hoa, Bac Giang claim immunity to electric shock. This is, however, not a supernatural phenomenon, and these two men should be aware of catching electrocution anytime.
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| The father |
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| The son |
Duong Dinh Thang, 57 and his son, Duong Minh Loi, 29, piqued their neighbor’s curiosity to no end when they proved to be completely unresponsive to electric shock.
However, Doctor Do Kien Cuong, lecturer of physics at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City, warned that they are not supermen and can be electrocuted any time.
They possess an unusual ability: they can stay unaffected when holding the live wires with their bare hands.
With such special ability, these men have been of great help in repairing and managing the town electric system, say the people in Ngoc Son village.
Yet it is essential not to mistake this as a supernatural phenomenon, above and beyond the laws of nature. There have been cases in which two “electric shock immune supermen” have lost their lives because of electrocution.
Biologically and physically speaking, there is nothing strange or unusual in these cases of imperviousness to electric shock.
Their skin simply has a sufficiently high resistive value to keep the electric current getting into their body at a low level so as not to kill them. (According to Ohm’s law: the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference or voltage across the two points, and inversely proportional to the resistance between them).
This enables them to withstand the current, as can anybody when in contact with a low-voltage current of a few amps. However, it is advised that these “supermen” not overestimate their ability as death can catch up with them when they least expected it. Here is the reason why.
Human body’s resistance, as well as skin resistance, is not a constant. It changes accordingly to the environmental, physical, biological and even psychological factors.
Hot or warm climate can reduce the body’s level of resistance, and thus increases the current. This is why we get a little shock when touching electric devices after taking a bath.
Physical exhaustion, and mental stress and anxiety are also contributing factors to the reduction of the body’s resistance. Moreover, as with any other so-called “special ability”, such ability tends to diminish and disappear at some point in the future.
Even when the ability has yet to leave them, these “electric shock proof” individuals need to remember one thing: although the 220 voltage cannot kill them, those higher (360V or high-tension current) can possibly do.
The death of a superman
Unaware of the potential danger, the “superman” may fall victim to electrocution some day, as in the case of Huynh Van Hung in 2006.
A native of O Ro, Dinh Binh, Ca Mau city, this man was so famous for his invulnerability to electric shock that he was called Hung dien (Hung electric) or “electric man”. His renown spread throughout the country after he appeared on a TV show that aimed to investigate his unusual ability.
Hung used to help his neighbor with electricity repairing work, which he always did with his bare hands with the current still connected. On September 7, 2006, however, he died of electric shock when repairing a pumper for his cousin.
Whatever it was that caused his death, Hung’s case is an alarm for those “supermen” who overestimate and show too much confidence in their ability.
