Decomposition fluid will drain from the mouth and nose, this is often misinterpreted by the inexperienced as blood, and trauma is suspected. Decomposition fluid will accumulate in body cavities and should not be confused with haemothorax in the case of the pleural cavities. As decomposition continues, haemolysed blood leaks out into the tissue.
In the scalp, decomposition fluid cannot readily be differentiated from ante-mortem bruising. Thus, in the dependent areas of the head in decomposed bodies, one must be very cautious in interpreting blood in the tissue as a contusion.
Two weeks after death, peeling of the dark green skin with falling of the nails and hair, skin from the hands slips, thus “gloves” of skin can be found, bursting of the
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6) Bacterial content of the tissues: Newborn infant putrefies slowly because there are few bacteria in its body. Also bodies dying from infective diseases e.g. infected wounds, septicemia... etc., putrefaction is accelerated. If decomposition has set in, immediate refrigeration of the body may not necessarily stop decomposition completely
Putrefaction in water:
When a dead body is submerged under water, putrefaction will be slowly (most of the putrefactive organisms are aerobic), but when flotation of the dead body occurs, the exposed parts to the air will putrefy rapidly due to excessive hydration of the tissue. Floatation of dead bodies is due to accumulation of putrefactive gases under the skin and inside body cavities.
Factors affecting floatation of submerged bodies:
1. The depth to which the body sinks: The deeper it sinks, the colder the water is and the lesser putrefaction occurs.
2. Type of water: In fresh water putrefaction is more rapid than in sea water.
3. Bacterial contents of the water: Bodies drowned in dirty stagnant water putrefy more rapid than those drowned in clean running
The medico-legal autopsy report should be as detailed as possible so as not to miss even the slightest of findings, which may later play a big role in determining the case, hence standardized autopsy procedures as well as autopsy protocols have been devised.
Head injury is about damage to any of the structures of the head as a result of trauma. It is most often used to refer to an injury to the brain. Head injury involves the bones, muscles, blood vessels, skin, and other organs of the face or head. The injury may be only a minor bump on the skull or a serious brain injury. Head injury can be either closed or opened. Head injuries either will cause bleeding within the skull or damage on the scalp and surface of the head. These injuries may be in the form of lacerations, bumps, or bruises. There are four main type of head injury, there are closed injury, open injury, concussion, scalp wound.
When a person's body decomposes after death, it goes through a series of stages involving different chemical changes that cause it to change its appareance. Observing these changes can help forensic scientists determine the post-mortem interval (or time since death), which is very important when it comes to investigating unnatural deaths.
Edwards, William D., Wesley J. Gabel, and Floyd E. Hosmer. "On The Physical Death of Jesus Christ". JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association. Mar. 21, 1986, v256
Introduction: Mary Roach introduces herself ass a person who has her own perspective of death about cadavers. She explains the benefits of cadavers and why they could be used for scientific improvements. She acknowledges the negative perspectives of this ideology.
(not compiled yet, paper is due Friday. I want to get the body taken care of, please)
Imagine yourself as a mortician, certified as an embalmer, retort operator, funeral director, and a funeral cosmetologist. You get a call late at night, there’s been a terrible accident and someone has died. You arrive at the hospital and are directed to a small room where the body of the deceased is being held. There’s blood all over the sheets as the doctor and coronary assistant zip up the body bag and inform you the body was badly mangled in a car accident, which is going to make reconstructing the deceased very difficult. Your assistant puts the body on the stretcher and loads it into the hearse while you talk to the wife of the deceased man. She tells you they plan to have a funeral so you give her your card and a reassuring word before leaving the hospital and driving back to the funeral home. Now your job begins, not only will you have to reconstruct this man’s disfigured body, but you must meet with the family, discuss funeral arrangements, and deal with the family’s emotional trauma that comes with losing a loved one. Although working in the funeral business can be emotionally draining, it’s a satisfying feeling to see mourning families able to say goodbye to their loved ones. Despite the fact that working so closely with the deceased can be chilling, Mortuary science can be a thrilling field to work in.
Sauer, N. J. (1998). The timing of injuries and manner of death: distinguishing among antemortem, perimortem and postmortem trauma. Forensic Osteology, 2nd edition Springfield, Illinois: Charles C Thomas, 321-332.
However, most people do not want to know details beyond cost or think about the actual embalming process. Funeral embalming preserves a corpse from decomposition so it can be displayed with dignity in funer...
The word “Autopsy” means ‘to see with one’s own eyes,’ (2) and is a procedure that has been performed since the time of (LOOK UP IN NOTES). Not every death that occurs is subjected to an autopsy – this would be time consuming and expensive. Yet the situations that require such a procedure are different for every state. In fact, there is no federal standard when it comes to autopsy requirements or procedures – a surprising fact, considering the sheer number of years the human race has been practicing the procedure.
Interpreting perimortem trauma can become more complicated in some cases, especially if the bones have been exposed to extreme heat and/or fire. An investigation published in 1999 looked into perimortem specific characteristics of burned bones. These were analysed using radiographic, macroscopic and microscopic techniques. (Herrmann, Bennett, 1999). The results showed that perimortem trauma can still be determined, however the bone/ fracture patterns must be meticulously examined to ensure that the correct conclusion is drawn from the bone damage
Their body is placed in the cremation component and then subjected to extremely high heat, which reduces the biological matter to dust and some dried bone. That is then ground to a sand type substance.
The wounds that are on the body of a homicide victim, can provide valuable insight as to the circumstances surrounding the homicide. For instance, the type of wound and its location can reveal to investigators what kind of weapon was used, and if the wound could have been self-inflicted. Let us take for example, a homicide victim with
In 1861, (Guy WA., 1861) got an idea that water along with some mud and other debris fragments, channel to the various body organs when drowning takes place. While, a series of experiments were conducted on dogs and found that a quantity of water equal to a third or quarter of the subject's blood volume, enters the circulation when submersion takes place for about 20 minutes or more. (Brouardel P., 1880). But seventy years later (Swann HG., 1951) reported that only after 3 minutes of submersion the original blood volume could be diluted by same volume of water. First discovery of diatoms in lungs was made by (Hofmann E., 1878) but a successful attempt was made by (Revenstorf V., 1904) who correlated the presence of diatoms in the lungs in solving the drowning
The medico-legal autopsy report should be as detailed as possible so as not to miss even the slightest of findings, which may later play a big role in determining the case, hence standardized autopsy procedures as well as autopsy protocols have been devised.