Death

Somatic

Cellular

Organ transplantation

BICHATS MODES OF DEATH

GORDON,S MODES OF DEATH

COMA

Cause
Clinical features (Pupil, Reflexes, Sphincters)
Post mortem apearance

SYNCOPE

Causes
Clinical features
Postmortem apearance

Asphyxia

Causes
Pm aperances

Gordons clasification

Anoxic anoxia
Anemic anoxia
Histotoxic anoxia
Stagnant anoxia

Immediate death(Somatic Death)

Insensibility of and loss of voluntary power
Cessation of respiration
Cessation of circulation

Early death (cellular death)

Pallor and loss of elasticity of skin
Changes in the eye
Cooling of the body
Postmortem lividity
Cadavaric changes in the body

Late changes after death (Decomposition and decay)

Putrefaction
Adipocere formation
Mummification

Eye changes

Opacity of cornea ?
due to drying
Tache noir :eyelid open for few hour a film of cells debris and mucus forms two yello triangle at each side of iris
Flaccidity of eye ball
Pupils
Trucking :
Chemical level

Cooling of the body

Algor mortis Postmortem cooling,
Normal body temperature - rectal temp
Rate of temperature fall per hour

= time since death roughly

Rate affecting:
age, condition of body
manner of death
surrounding of body

Postmortem caloricity: for some time the body temp may rise in some cases after death

Postmortem Lividity

Livor mortis, Postmortem staining, Hypostasis
Mechanism
Sites
Time for Post mortem staining variable
But generally seen in 2-3 hours of death
Position of the body
No blanching after 6-8 hours fixed

Medicolegal Importance

Time since death

Information if position changed

Cause of death

Differentiation with bruise( haematoma)

RIGOR MORTIS

During life muscle of body is soft supple
Bundles of myofibrils: two protein filaments
Actin
Myosin
ATP constantly supplied in life but not after
Rule of 12 or march of the Rigor
Comes I 12 hours
Stay 12 hours
Passes off in12 hours

Cadaveric spasm or instantaneous rigor

The group of muscle sudden stiffening

Cause unknown

Conditions:

Medicolegal aspects

Pugilistic attitude due to heat

Cold stiffening due to freezing

Reasonable spot check-temperature condition

Body feels-warm and flaccid- dead less than-3hrs
Body feels-warm and stiff- dead from than-3-8hrs
Body feels-cold and stiff- dead from than-8-36hrs
Body feels-cold and flaccid- dead more than-36hrs

Late changes

Putrefaction: break down of complex organic constituent of the body in to simpler inorganic substance
Autolysis: digestive action of various enzyme released by cells aft death leading to softening and liquifaction
Maceration of dead foetus in uterus
No bacterial action action is there
Bacterial action: rapid bacterial growth
Blood is good medium for growth
Streptococci, staphylococci, escherichia coli, proteus species, and clostridium welchi.

Changes during putrefaction

Greenish discolouration 12 to 24 hour
Marbelling: in 36 to 48 hours
Development of fowl smelling gases: proteins and carbohydrate get split in to simpler compounds of aminoacids, ammonia, co, CO2, hydrogen sulphide, phosphorated hydrogen, methane and mercaptans
Rigidity due to inflation of with gas
Liquifaction: begins in 5—10 days
Become soft, liquifies separated from bones and fall off
Cartilage and ligaments in final stage

Skeletonisation

Time varies on condition of the body
Condition affecting Putrefaction:
Temperature
Moisture
Air
Clothing
Manner of burial
Age, cause of death, mutilation, condition of body
Air water earth
Adipocere formation: fatty tissue of the body changes into substances like soap, due to gradual hydrolysis and hydrogenation of fats like olein into higher fatty acids and combines with calcium and ammonia to form insoluble soap, being acidic inhibit bacteria
Temperate climate 3 weeks in summer.
MLA: facial features preserved so identification,
Cause of death, time since death
Mummification: modification of putrefaction
Dehydration or drying and shrivelling of the cadaver occurs from the evaporation of water but the natural feature of the body is preserved
MLA : Identification, cause of death injuries.
Embalming treatment with antiseptic and preservative to prevent putrefaction