Postmortem Hypostasis – It is usually of two kinds of coloration, that is, This is the bluish-purple or purplish-red (due to deoxyhaemoglobin) discolouration, which appears under the skin in the most superficial layers of the dermis (rete mucosum) of the dependent parts of the body after death, due to capillo-venous distention. It is also called [...]
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Rigor mortis, also known as death stiffening or cadaveric rigidity, is a state of stiffening of muscles, sometimes with slight shortening of the fibres. Individual cell death takes place in this stage. Mechanism of Rigor Mortis: Rigor mortis is a physico-chemical change that occurs within muscles. A voluntary muscle consists of bundles of long fibres. [...]
Continue reading …The Cooling of body after death (algor mortis; ‘chill of death’) is a complex process, which does not occur at the same rate throughout the body. After stoppage of circulation, convectional transport of heat inside the body stops. The postmortem rate of heat production by anaerobic glycolysis is very low. With the start of cooling, [...]
Continue reading …Finding the Cause of death – The cause of death is the disease or injury responsible for starting the sequence of events, which are brief or prolonged and which produce death. It may be divided into: IMMEDIATE CAUSE, i.e., at the time of terminal event, e.g., bronchopneumonia, peritonitis, trauma, etc. BASIC CAUSE, i.e., pathological processes [...]
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Sudden death - Death is said to be sudden or unexpected when a person not known to have been suffering from any dangerous disease, injury or poisoning is found dead or dies within 24 hours after the onset of terminal illness (WHO). Some authors limit sudden death as those occurring instantaneously or within one hour of [...]
Continue reading …MODES OF DEATH: According to Bichat, there are three modes of death, depending on whether death begins in one or other of the three systems, irrespective of what the remote causes of death may be. These modes are: Asphyxia, Coma and Syncope. Anoxia: According to Gordon (1944) the stoppage of vital functions depends upon tissue [...]
Continue reading …Thanatology – Death and its causes - Thanatology deals with death in all its aspects. There is a progression from clinical death to brain death, biological death and then cellular death. Brain death follows immediately clinical death due to lack of oxygen. First the cerebral cortex, then cerebellum and then lower brain centres die. Ultimately the [...]
Continue reading …Post mortem examination of mutilated bodies - Mutilated bodies are those which are extensively disfigured, or in which a limb or a part is lost but the soft tissues, muscles and skin are attached to the bones. Sometimes, only a part of the body, such as head, trunk or a limb may be found. (1) Human [...]
Continue reading …Exhumation is the digging out of an already buried body from the grave. There is no time limit for exhumation in India. Autopsies are performed on exhumed bodies in two cases: In criminal cases, such as homicide, suspected homicide disguised as suicide or other types of death, suspicious poisoning, death as a result of criminal [...]
Continue reading …Collection of blood - The cellular barrier of mucous and serous membranes breakdown after death, due to which substances in the stomach and intestine can migrate to the organs in the thorax and abdomen, causing false rise in the blood level. Before autopsy, 10 to 20 ml. of blood can be drawn from the femoral vein [...]
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