The surgical removal or destruction of the head or brain, or the process of removing the head from a body.
From de- (away) + cephaliz- (from Greek kephalē, 'head') + -ation (noun suffix). This clinical term emerged in medical literature to describe decapitation or brain removal procedures.
This term appears in grotesque medical experiments and horror literature, but it was also used seriously in early neuroscience when researchers wanted to study how the body functions without brain control.
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