Hanging is a form of execution or a method for suicide.
Hanging may involve breaking of the neck (cervical fracture, in the case of a "long-drop"), or one or more of the following (in the case of a "short-drop"):
* Closing the airway
* Closing the carotid arteries
* Closing the jugular veins
* Carotid reflex (which reduces heartbeat when the pressure in the carotid arteries is high) causing cardiac arrest
As punishment it has been used throughout history.
In England the short drop method was used until the 19th century, when the long-drop was introduced.
The short-drop could be a protracted affair and was primarily for the entertainment of the watching public, the struggling of the victim giving rise to such terms as "the hangman's hornpipe".
