"Dirk Bruere at Neopax" wrote in message
...
It's very hard. Even the middle age executioners, with an axe, had to
swing more than once on the odd occasion. Hunters usually use a saw, not
a knife, to sever the spinal column. The guy with the knife had to have
superhuman strength to do it.

Not really. Anyone who has ever field dressed a deer knows that.