Dr.

Rakibul Hasan Khan

MBBS, DFM (BSMMU), BCS (Health)
Lecturer,
Forensic Medicine
Sheikh Hasina Medical College, Tangail
 Forensic Thanatology
Definition :
It is a branch of forensic medicine which
deals with death and all of its aspects.
 Death
 Definition :
Permanent and irreversible cessation of
function of three interlinked vital system
of the body namely cardiovascular
system, respiratory system and nervous
system (which is termed as “Tripod of
life”) is called death.
 Types of death
 Death is not an event but a process.
For the purpose of understanding about death
and its mechanism death is divided into two
types:
(1) Somatic death/Clinical death/systemic death
(2) Molecular death/cellular death
Somatic death/Systemic death/Clinical
death.
 It is defined as irreversible & permanent cessation
of function of nervous, circulatory and respiratory
system resulting in complete loss of sensibility
and ability to move the body.
The cells of different tissues of the body are still
alive and dies after sometime at different rate.
M/L Importance:
Artificial maintenance can be withdrawn
For declaration of death
Can issue Death certificate
Organ transplantation can be done
 Organ Transplantation
 Liver must be removed within 15 minutes
 Kidneys within 45 minutes
 Heart within an hour
Organ Last Time to be transplanted
Cornea Up to 6 Hours
Skin Up to 24 hours
Bones Up to 48 hours
Blood vessels Up to 72 hours
 Molecular death/cellular death
 It means death of cells and tissues individually.
 After somatic death, various tissues survive till
oxygen supply to them adequate.
 When oxygen in the cell depleted, cellular or
molecular death sets in.
 Generally molecular death is completed within 3-
4 hours of somatic death & there is absence of
response to electrical, thermal, chemical or
mechanical stimulus.
 Mode of death
 The Mode of death refers to the abnormal
physiological state that existed at the time of death.
 According to Bichat, there are three modes of death
depending upon the system most obviously involved,
irrespective of what the remote cause of death may be.
♥ Asphyxia, i.e. failure of respiratory system. (Sudden
stoppage of functioning of lungs.)
♥ Coma, i.e. failure of functions of brain. (Sudden
stoppage of functioning of the brain.)
♥ Syncope, i.e. failure of function of heart. (Sudden
stoppage of functioning of heart.)
Manner of Death
 The Manner of Death refers to the ‘design’/fashion
in which the cause of death came into being or the
circumstances under which the person died.
 Two types-
 Natural
 Unnatural
 Suicidal

 Homicidal

 Accidental
Manner of Death
 If death results from some disease, the manner of
death is ‘natural’ and
 If by injury or other than natural causes, then the
manner of death is ‘violent’/ unnatural.
 Unnatural deaths are, suicidal, homicidal or
accidental
Cause of Death
 The Cause of Death refers to the disease or injury
responsible for starting the chain of events, brief or
prolonged, which produce the fatal outcome.
 Concept of brain death & organ
transplantation.
 BRAIN DEATH-Irreversible loss of cerebral function.
 TYPES-
1. Cortical or cerebral death.
2. Brain stem death.
3. Whole brain death.
CORTICAL DEATH.
 Death of cerebral cortex occurred without death
brainstem death
 The cortex is damage due to cerebral hypoxia,toxic
condition, brain injury.
 This produces a vegetative state in which
respiration continues.
 But there is loss of power of reception by the
senses.
 BRAIN STEM DEATH
 The cerebrum may be intact, but cut off
functionally by the stem lesion.
 The loss of vital centers that control respiration &
ARDS that sustains consciousness, cause the
victim to be irreversible comatose & incapable of
spontaneous breathing.
 This can be produced by raised intracranial
pressure & hge, cerebral oedema.
Whole brain death
 Combination of cortical and brain stem death
Diagnosis of brain stem death.
 The pt. must be in deep coma & treatable
causes such as depressant drugs, metabolic &
endocrine disorders( diabetic & myxoedema
coma ) or hypothermia must be excluded.
 The pt . Must be on mechanical ventilator.
 Neuromascular blocking agent or curare-like
drugs must be excluded as a possible cause of
respiratory failure.
 A firm diagnosis of the basic pathology must be
unequivocally positive done by two doctors.
 Deeply unconscious with no response to external
stimuli or internal need.
 No movements, no spontaneous respiration.
 Cessation of cardiac rhythm without assistance.
 All brain stem reflexes are absent with fixed dilated
& unreactive pupils. Corneal reflex is lost.
 Vestibulo-occular reflexes are negative when iced-
water is introduced into ears.
 No motor responses to painful stimuli in any of the
cranial nerves.
 No gag reflex to a catheter placed in the larynx.
 No respiratory movement when the pt. Is
disconnected from ventilator with an arterial pco2
level more than 50 mmHg.
 Testing must be performed with a body
temperature not less than 35 degree centigrade to
avoid hypothermia simulating brain death.
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)
Causes:
(1)Diseases of the cardiovascular system(45-50%):
 Myocardial infarction
 Coronary artery embolism
 Systemic embolism
 Cardio-myopathy
 Acute crditis
 Bacterial endocardities
Causes:
(1)Diseases of the cardiovascular system(45-50%):
Myocardial infarction
Coronary artery embolism
Systemic embolism
Cardio-myopathy
Acute crditis
Bacterial endocardities
(2) Respiratory system (15-23%)
 Lobar pneumonia
 Pulmonary embolism and infarction
 Air embolism
 Pneumothorax
(3)Central nervous System(10-18%)
 Cerebral haemorrhage
 Cerebellar haemorrhage
 Cerebral infarction
 Menningitis
 Encephalitis
 Subarachnoid haemorrhage
(4)Alimentary system(6-8%):
Perforation of hollow viscus
Acute haemorrhagic pancreatitis
Ruptured appendicitis
Small and large gut obstruction
Strangulated hernia
(5) Genitourinary system(3-5%)
Toxaemia of pregnancy
Rupturted ectopic pregnancy
Twisted ovary, ovarian cyst and fibroid tumor,
Acute renal failure
(6) Miscellaneous(5-10%)
Reflex vagal inhibition
Cerebral malaria
Anaphylactic shock
Mismatched blood transfusion
DKA
 Suspended Animation/Apparent
Death/ Death Trance/Catalepsy
It is the condition in which signs of life aren’t
found, as the functions are interrupted for
sometime or are reduced to minimum
through the person is alive.
Causes of Suspended animation.
Voluntary- Yoga practicing. 9. Sun-stroke.
Involuntary- 10.Snake bite.
1. Newborn infants 11.Head injury.
2. Insanity 12.Epilepsy.
3. Drowning 13.Anaesthetic shock.
4. Electrocution 14. Severe hypothermia.
5. Cholera 15.Prolonged starvation.
6. Frozen coma 16. Thunder.
7. After anesthesia
8. Shock
M/L/Importance-
-A doctor may be confused & may issue death certificate.
-An alive person may be sent to mortuary.
DMCH, 4/12/14
Death Certificate issued on Apparent
Death
Issuing Death Certificate
 Doctor must confirm that the person is dead before
issuing a death certificate
 He must examine repeatedly in five minutes interval
thrice
 Wait half an hour before issuing a death certificate
 Diagnose the death of a Person
Cessation of heart beating:-Clinical criteria
 Absence of pulse
 Non-recordable BP
 Absence of heart sound on repeated auscultation.
 A flat electrocardiogram (ECG).
Cessation of breathing:- Clinical criteria
 Absence of respiratory movement
 Absence of breath sound on thorough auscultation of
chest
Cessation of brain activity:- Clinical criteria
 Generalized flaccidity.
 Dilated fixed pupils, not responding to light
 Absence of motor responses to painful stimuli.
 Absence of corneal reflexes.
 Absence of vesibulo-ocular reflexes.
 Absence of superficial & deep tendon reflexes.
 Flat EEG.
 Presumption of Death
If a person is unheard of for seven years, the court
may on application by the nearest relatives,
presume death to have taken place.
 Presumption of Survivorship
If two or more persons perish in a common
accident who are related
# It may be necessary, to decide the question of
succession
# It may be necessary, to determine which of
them died first
It is generally accepted that the stronger & more
vigorous on will survive longest.
The changes after death
 Immediate changes
 Early changes
 Late Changes
 Immediate changes
Complete insensibility & loss of EEG rhythm
Cessation of respiration or respiratory arrest
Cessation of circulation or circulatory arrest

The above changes take place in the dead

body at somatic or clinical deaths
 Early changes
Pallor and loss of elasticity of skin
Changes in the eye
Primary flaccidity of muscles
Cooling of the body
Post mortem hypostasis
Rigor mortis
The above change take place in the dead body in
the first 12-24 hours of death
 Late Changes
 Putrefaction
 Adipocere formation
 Mummification

These changes take place after 24 hours of death &

include a chain of events called putrefaction, where
as sometimes replaced by alternative two changes
called adipocere formation & mummification.
Early changes:
Changes in the Skin
 Loss of elasticity: Prevents gapping of the
incised wound if caused after death

 Color changes: Ashy white, pallor due to

draining of blood from vessels

 Changes in the lip: Becomes hard due to

drying & brownish in color
Eye changes
 Loss of corneal reflex which is also seen in all
comatose conditions
 Opacity of the cornea:
Tache noir: It is a film of cellular debris and
mucous that forms two yellow triangular
discoloration on exposed parts of sclera on
each side of iris which become brown and
then black when eyes are opened is called
tache noir
Tache noir
 Flaccidity of the eye ball:
Normal IOT 14 to 25 gm in

Soon after death Less than 12 gm

Within half hour 3 gm

After 2 hours Nil

 Pupils are dilated at death but constricted

later due to set up of rigor mortis
 Vitreous biochemical changes: potassium in
vitreous humor up to 100 hours

 Retinal vascular changes:

Kevorkian sign: Fragmentation or
segmentation of the blood column in the
retinal blood vessels appear within minutes
after death and persists about an hour
Rigor mortis, Cadaveric rigidity.

Rigor mortis is a condition characterized

by stiffening and shortening of muscle
fibres after death which follows the
period of primary relaxation.
46
 From the medico legal viewpoint, rigor
mortis may be considered under the
following heads
 Time of onset and duration
 Order of appearance and
disappearance
 Factors influencing onset and
duration
 Other forms of Stiffening.
Time of onset and duration
 It is apparent in about 1-2 hours after
death, gets well established in about 12
hours.
 It is maintained for about 12 hours and
then gradually passes off in another 12
hours in the same order as it appeared.
Order of appearance and disappearance

 Rigor Mortis usually affects the involuntary and

then the voluntary muscles. Involuntary
muscles include the cardiac muscles.
rigor mortis appears in the following sequence:
 Eyelids
 Neck and lower jaw
 Face
 Muscles of chest and upper limbs
 Abdomen and lower limbs
 Lastly in fingers and toes
 Various muscles of the body and time
interval of developing rigor mortis:

Muscle sites Time interval after

death
1. Eyelids 1. 3 - 4 hours
2. Face and jaw 2. 4 - 5 hours
3. Neck and trunk 3. 5 - 7 hours
4. Upper extremities 4. 7 - 9 hours
5. Legs 5. 9 - 11 hours
6. Finger and toes 6. 11 - 12 hours

50
Factors influencing onset and duration
 Age
Does not occur in foetus less than 7 months. But found
in stillborn infants of full term. Children & old- feeble &
rapid.
 Nature of death
Early & short in death of exhausted & wasting diseases
such as – Cholera, malignancy, tuberculosis etc. &
violent death as cut throat, firearm, electrocution.
Rapid & short in strychnine poisoning,
Delayed onset in asphyxia, severe haemorrhage,
pneumonia.
 Muscular state
Slow & long in healthy muscles.
 Rapid & short in fatigue &exhaustion.

 Atmospheric condition.
 Slow & long in winter.
 Rapid & short in summer.
How RM is tested?

By lifting eyelids.

 Depressing the lower jaw.
 Bending different joints & neck.
Mechanism of R.M
 Myofibrils, actin and myosin, the contractile elements
of the muscles are arranged and organized in an
interdigiting manner. The interdigitating is slight in
relaxed state but greater during contraction due to
presence of ATP, which is constantly produced and
degraded in a balanced manner throughout life.
 After death, there is continuous breakdown of ATP & so
long glycogen is available there is re-synthesis of
ATP & finally storage is exhausted & no further ATP is
produced.
 When ATP is reduced to critical level(85% of normal),
the interdigitation of actin & myosin filaments
(actomyosin) causes hardness & rigidity of muscles.
 Rigidity is maximum when ATP level is
reduced to 15%.
 Simultaneously there is rise of lactic acid & fall
of hydrogen ion due to glycolysis.
 When lactic acid concentration reaches a level
of 0.3%, muscles go into an irreversible state of
contraction known as RIGOR MORTIS
M/L Importance of R.M
 It helps to estimate the time since death.
 It may give information about the position
of body at the time of death.
 It indicates molecular death of the muscles
involved.
Condition simulating RM

Heat stiffening or Heat coagulation.

Freezing or cold stiffening.
Gas stiffening
Cadaveric Spasm
Heat stiffening
 This condition is found in bodies which
have been subjected to temperature
over 65.c, as in death from burning,
High voltage electricity & falling in hot
liquids.
 The heat coagulates the muscle protein
& causes stiffening & contraction
greater than that seen in normal rigor.
Cold stiffening
 When a dead body is exposed to
freezing temperature, the tissues
becomes frozen & stiff due to freezing
of body fluids & solidification of
subcutaneous fats. The body is
extremely cold & markedly rigid.
 When the joints are forcibly flexed,
crackling sounds occur in synovial fluid
Cadaveric Spasm
Synonym:
 Instantaneous rigor
 Cataleptic rigidity

 It is the stiffening of muscles immediately

after death without being preceded by the
stage of primary relaxation.
Conditions which causes C.S
Suicidal gun shot wound
Suicidal cut throat wound
Drowning
POST MORTEM CALORICITY.
The temperature of the dead body remains
raised for first 2 hrs, or more after death,
as in –
Sunstroke.
Strychnine poisoning.
Tetanus, Septicemia & Cholera.
M/L importance
It is a sign of death.
Time since death can be calculated.
Early cooling delays rigor mortis.
 Post-mortem Hypostasis
It is the bluish or reddish purple
discoloration of skin and organs after
death due to capillo-venous distension
in the dependant parts of the body due
to settling of blood under influence of
gravity.
Synonym
 Livor Mortis
 Post mortem staining
 Post mortem lividity
 Suggilation
 Vivices
 Darkening of death
 Subcutaneous hypostasis.
 Mechanism:
With the cessation of circulation at the
time of death, the accumulation of
deoxygenated blood obeying the law of
gravity gravitates into the toneless
capillaries and venules of the dependent
part of the body. This passive pooling of
blood imparts purplish or reddish
discoloration to those areas.
Site
In supine position: On the back, ears, and
posterior aspect of the body except the
pressure areas (contact areas).
In Hanging: Lower limbs, external genitalia,
lower parts of the forearms & hands.
In drowning: Head, face & upper parts of
the body.
In body constantly changing position as in
running water –may not develop at all.
Time taken for Hypostatsis
Starts: By the end of the 1st hour after death

Time: It takes 5 to 6 hours to fix over the

areas

Staining: Fixation of staining takes another 5

to 6 hours
Color of hypostasis
 Purplishnormally
 Dark purple in Asphyxia

Color Poisoning by
Cherry red carbon monoxide
Bright pink cyanide
Chocolate brown Potassium chlorate
Dark brown Phosphorous
Bluish green Hydrogen sulfide
 Medicolegal Importance

Time since death can be estimated

Position of the dead body at the time
of death can be decided
The cause of death can be established
It may be mistaken as bruise.
Difference between bruise and hypostasis
SL. No. Traits Hypostasis Bruise
1. Margin well defined. Diffuse
2. Colour Bluish or reddish purple. Reddish when fresh
3. Site Dependent part of the body. At any where
4. Effect of pressure Pale and disappeared No change
5. Cut section Oozing blood easily wash out. Not easily wash out
6. Cause Capillo-venous distension Extravasation of blood
7. Enzymatic reaction No change(Absent) Changes of enzymes (Present
8. Microscopically Distension of vessels Blood, cells and exudation
9. Nature Post mortem Ante mortem
10. MLI Time of death Type of injury, weapon
used.
 Difference between hypostasis &
bruise.
Features Hypostasis Bruise

Situation On the Any where of

dependant the body.
parts.
Surface Not elevated Elevated &
& abraded. abraded.
Margin Sharp & clearly Diffused
defined. margins.

Colour Bluish/reddish Reddish

purple. when fresh
but changes
with time.
Cause Capillo-venus Extravasation
distension with of blood from
blood. capillaries.
Cooling of the Body / Algor Mortis / Chill of
Body:
Postmortem cooling is defined as the
cooling of the dead body.
Mechanism of cooling -
• Normal human body temperature is 37.2°C.
• In life a balance between heat production and
heat loss maintains this.
• The cooling of the body after death is a
complex process, which does not occur at
the same rate throughout the body.

76
Rate of cooling:
It is not uniform. In temperate climate, the
cooling rate is -
In first 2 to 3 hours there is no cooling;
In the next 6 hours it is about 1.5°C per
hour;
In later 6 to 12 it is about 0.9°C to 1.2°C per
hour;
Thus, the whole body surface gets cooled
by 10 to 12 hours of death. However, it is well
established that internal organs cools slowly
by 12 to 18 hours of death.
77
Estimation of time since death from PM
cooling

78
Medicolegal importance:
 It is a sign of death.
 It helps in the estimation of the time of
death, which is not reliable.
 Rapid cooling of a dead body delays the
processes of rigor mortis and decomposition.
If heat is preserved for longer period, both
processes start early.

79
 Late Changes
 Putrefaction
 Adipocere formation
 Mummification
Late changes
Putrefaction (Decomposition):
It is the final stage of dissolution of
body tissue resulting in breaking
down of complex organic body
constituents into simpler ones by
(I) Autolysis (II) Bacterial action.
Autolysis:
 Caused by the enzyme released by
intracellular lysosomal breakdown.
 Commences within 3 to 4 hours of death
and completes in about 3 to 4 days or
more.
 Bacterial action
Certain bacteria like
 Clostridium welchii,
 E. coli,
 Staphylococcus,
 Streptococcus,
 Proteus etc.
can produce proteolytic and other enzymes capable
of lysis of tissues.
Cardinal signs of putrefaction

Changes in the colour of tissues

Evolution of foul smelling gas
Liquefaction of tissues
 Color changes of skin:
 First external evidence of putrefaction.
 Appears as greenish discoloration on
abdomen in right Iliac region in 12 to 24
hours, then spreads to adjoining area and
ultimately to the whole body by 48 hours.
 The colour is due to formation of
sulphmethaemoglobin formed by
conversion of Hb by H2S.
Putrefaction after about a week in temperate
summer conditions. The skin is discoloured and
there is gaseous distension of the face,
abdomen and scrotum.
87
Marbling- The superficial veins over the roots of
the limbs, thighs, flanks, shoulder, chest & neck
are stained due to blood pigments from
haemolysed RBC. These are visible as
blue/purplish discoloration of veins making the
whole venous network seen through skin
resembling the branches of a tree.
 Commences at 24 hours and becomes prominent at 36
to 48 hours.
Evolution of foul smelling gas:
A foul smell due to formation and collection
of putrefying gas namely-
 Hydrogen sulfide
 Ammonia
 Phosphoretted hydrogen
 Carbon dioxide & monooxide
 Methane & Mercaptans
Effects of putrefying gases:
 Gas stiffening
 Bloating features
 Shifting of hypostasis
 Changes in the skin, hair and wounds
 Postmortem blisters
 Postmortem peeling of skin: Degloving &
destocking.
 Postmortem bleeding from wounds.
 Hair and nails become loose and can be
pulled or detached easily.
 Extrusion of blood-stained fluid from
mouth and nostrils.
 Male genitalia –enormously swollen
 Changes in female genitalia and uterus
 Vulva turn pendulous (mimic findings
of sexual offences)
 Expulsion of fetus if gravid.
Bloating of features:
 Face become swollen & altered in colour that
visual identification becomes impossible.
 Blacken, protruded tongue.
 Lips, nose, eyelids, cheek are distended.
 Bulging of eyeballs.
Gas collection and time
 Gas collection inside hollow viscera-
:12 to 18 hours
 Gas collection under skin :18 to 48
hours
 Bloating face & PM blister formation:
36 to 48 hours
 PM peeling of skin of hand and feet:
48 to 72 hours.
Appearance of maggots
The lifecycle of common housefly

Flies (3-6 th
Days)

Pupae (3-6th Eggs (18-36

day) hours)

Rapid growth
Hatching larva
into maggots (4-5
(24 hours)
days)
Cadaver in a state of putrefaction infested with
maggots 97
Decomposition, and maggots infested in the 98

genital region.
 Liquefaction of tissues
Rapidly putrefying organs
 Larynx and trachea
 Brain of infants
 Stomach, Intestines, Spleen, Omentum and
mesentery
 Liver (foamy liver) and Adult brain.
 Slowly putrefying organs
 Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Bladder
 Esophagus, Pancreas
 Diaphragm & Blood vessels
 Non gravid Uterus and prostate: The last
organs to be putrefied
Condition of body influencing
putrefaction
External.

Internal.
External
 Temperature- High temperature hasten
putrefaction. 0.c & 48.c stop it.
 Moisture – hastens putrefaction & drying
retards it.
 Air current- hasten putrefaction.
 Clothing- hasten but tight garments retard it.
 Manner of burial-Putrefaction is delayed if
burried in dry, sandy soil or in grave deeper
than 2 metres, rapid in damp, marshy shallow
grave.
 INTERNAL.
Age-in newborn it is delayed.
Sex- no effect.
Condition of the body-Fatty & flabby
body putrefy quickly.
Cause of death- infective death hasten
putrefaction.
Mutilation- rapid putrefaction.
CASPER DACTUM-States that a body decomposes in air
twice as rapidly as in water 8 times as rapidly as in
earth.

 M/L/I of decomposition
1. From the stage of decomposition time passed since
death can be assessed.
2. Advance putrefaction obliterates
-Identity of the deceased.
-The cause of death of deceased.
 SKELETONISATION.
 It means changing the dead body to a skeleton
by various means.
 It takes varying time depending on various
factors. In buried body, total skeletonisation may
take 1 yr. When disposed carelessly in water or
land, it may occur within a few months.
 In exposed dead bodies- flies, maggots, ants,
cockroaches, rats, dogs, jackals, vultures may
reduce the body to skeleton within a few days.
 In water – it may attacked by fishes,
crabs etc. which reduce the body in a few
days.
 Uncoffined bodies becomes skeleton
earlier than coffined body.
 If a number of bodies are buried in a
common grave without coffins, the
bodies lying in the centre will be better
preserved.
Adipocere/Saponification
 It is a modified process of putrefaction,
wherein the fatty tissues of body change into
adipocere. It is the post mortem hydrolysis
and hydrogenation of unsaturated body fats
into saturated firmer fats. Water is essential.

 Time: At least 3 to 6 month which starts

within 1 month after death
Adipocer
e - The
moist
greasy,
waxy
changes
of the
body.

108
 Complete conversion of a to Adipocere. The body
was recovered from a deep lake 8 years after
disappearing in a boating accident during a storm. 109
Adipocere depends upon the following
factors:
Abundance of moisture
Presence of bacteria
Optimum temperature
Relative diminution of air
Abundance of adipose tissue.
M/L Importance of Adipocere
Identification is possible due to
preservation of the body
Cause of death can be recognized as
injuries are preserved
The time since death can be estimated
Mummification
 It is a modified putrefaction in which the body
is preserved by drying and shriveling of the
cadaver due to evaporation of water

Time: It takes 3 months to 1 year

depending upon the size of the body,
atmospheric condition and place of
disposal.
Features of mummification:
 The skin may be shrunken and
contracted, dry, brittle, leathery and rusty
brown in colour and stretched tightly
across anatomical prominence.
 The internal organs become shrunken,
hard, dark brown and black, become a
single mass or disappear
Factors favoring for mummification
2 factors:
 The absence of moisture in the air
 The continuous action of dry or warmed air

Chronic arsenic and antimony poisoning

Shallow graves in dry sandy soil
M/L importance of Mummification
Identification is possible due to
preservation of the body
Cause of death can be recognized as
injuries are preserved
The time since death can be estimated
 Maceration
 When intrauterine death of the fetus takes
place in sterile medium in amniotic fluid, as
no organism can enter, hence no putrefaction
can occur.
 The body becomes deep red or greenish in
color, skull sutures are seen separated which
can be diagnosed by radiograph showing
crowding of the skull bones called Spalding’s
sign.
 Estimation of Time since Death
 Postmortem cooling:
 Postmortem lividity
 Rigor mortis
 Putrefactive changes
 Cadaveric entomology
 Conditions preserving the body
 Embalming
 Adipocere formation
 Mummification
 Freezing
 Bodies in water or soil which contains antiseptic
substances may not decompose
 Persistent vegetative state.
 When the cortex alone is damaged due to some
pathology patient Passes into deep coma, but brain stem
will function normally to maintain spontaneous
respiration & this condition is known as persistent
vegetative state & death may occur after months/yrs.
 Due to extension of cerebral damage or intercurrent
infection. Pts. Are not in need of life sustaining
treatment but require nutrition & hydration.
Live Donation
 In this tissue is taken from a living donor whose tissues
have been matched to or are compatible with those of
recipient.
 Bood & bone marrow transplantation is most
common.
 Kidney & part of the liver are also donated.
Cadaveric Donation.
 Major source of all tissues for transplantation.
 Most organs must be obtained while the donor
heart is still beating to improve chances of success.
 Cornea- within 6 hrs.
 Skin- within 24 hrs.
 Bone- within 48 hrs.
 Blood vessels-within 72 hrs.
EMBALMING.
 It is the treatment of a dead body with
antiseptics & preservatives to prevent
putrefaction.
 By this process, proteins are coagulated, tissues
are fixed,organs are bleached & hardened &
blood is converted into a brownish mass. It
produces chemical stiffening which is
permanent.
 In this process, contents of intestine is syringed
out or taken out by some other means.