Mortician said little known ancient torture method was the worst way to die
She selected the gruesome method as the worst death
It's a morbid topic of conversation but many people have speculated about it some point or another - What is the worst way to die?
Well, one mortician has offered up a contender and (mercifully), it's a death that hasn't been seen for many centuries.
Caitlin Doughty, the creator of YouTube channel Ask a Mortician, posed this question to her one million subscribers in her video titled 'Worst way to die?'
Doughty put forward 'scaphism' as her answer.
Advert
Never heard of it? Well, dear reader, prepare to be horrified.
Doughty explained: "Scaphism was used in ancient Persia to torture someone to death.
"First, your body is stripped naked and you're put between two hollowed out logs with your head and limbs sticking out.
"Then they pour honey all over you and force you to ingest milk and honey, which causes diarrhea, filling up the inside of the log and attracting insects."
So far, so gross.
But what really inches it out to make this the absolute worst way to pop your clogs?
Doughty continued: "Then they leave you in a stagnant pond to be slowly eaten.
"But they come back every day to force you to eat more milk and honey, so you don't die right away, eventually succumbing to exposure, dehydration, shock and delirium."
BIG yikes!
Scaphism is thought to have originated in 500BC, but was generally reserved for the worst types of criminals - traitors to the crown and ruthless murderers.
However, some historians have questioned whether or not the practice even existed.
Regardless, it makes for some grim reading.
Doughty concluded: "Awful poop smothering deaths aren't just a thing of the ancient past. Last year in China, a woman dropped her phone down a toilet septic tank.
"Her husband jumped in after the phone and passed out from the fumes. Then his mother went in after her son, but she fainted too.
"By the time they pulled them out, they were both dead. Well... s**t."
So, there you have it.
Viewers were unsurprisingly horrified and disgusted by Doughty's pick for worst death, and took to the comments to share their own choices.
One user wrote: "Dying in childbirth would be one of the most terrifying for me, partially because pregnancy and giving birth is already such a big fear of mine."
Another commented: "Drowning and being burned alive is pretty scary, but I think the one that really freaks me the fuck out is being crushed slowly."
A fellow viewer volunteered: "Biggest fear is burning alive. A girl I went to school with along with her siblings and mother were burned completely when their dad fell asleep drunk and smoking.
"The father did get to the door before passing out again but when fire dept got there they only were able to grab his arm and get him out though he died later.
"By the time they got flames controlled enough to get where the other family was they were not able to tell the kids apart."
Anyone feeling a bit more fragile about their own mortality? Life may be a chore at times, but it's better than the alternative.
Ben Thompson