Unconsciousness (Legal Term)

UNCONSCIOUSNESS (Bespamyatstvo), a term from pre-revolutionary Russian criminal legislation used to define transient mental disorders, specifically 'seizures of illness leading to delirium or complete unconsciousness' (Article 92, Clause 3 of the Code of Punishments). The necessity of proving a pathological state of the organism (encompassing not only psychological but also physical illnesses) significantly limited the application of the term 'complete unconsciousness.' Complete unconsciousness relative to a known interval of time is an extremely important criterion when determining

INFERTILITY

the existence of an unconscious state (see Unconscious). There is undoubtedly a parallelism between the depth of the clouding of consciousness and the completeness of subsequent amnesia, but not every clouding of consciousness is necessarily accompanied by amnesia. Memories of events during the most severe disorders of psychological activity can be preserved in full volume and clarity. When resolving the question of a temporary disorder of mental activity, Soviet legislation, unlike pre-revolutionary legislation, does not use the term 'unconsciousness' at all.