When Would a Loss of Consciousness be a Survival Mechanism?

One of our WAFAs was in a first year lecture to 150 students at med school. The professor
asked, “When would a loss of consciousness be a survival mechanism?” The students were
silent for a minute, then the WAFA raised his hand.

When the professor called on him, he explained the preservation of the basic “reptilian”
functions and the concept of peeling the onion.

The professor was amazed. He said that this was an excellent explanation, one that he had
not run into, and that he had never run into a first year student who understood it.