Ruka Prachki

The Washerwoman's hand is one of the most interesting and unexpected finds in body research. This is a condition caused by wrinkling and blanching of the skin of the fingers on a corpse after being in water on the second or third day. The cause of this condition is still unknown, however, it is the reason for many theories and hypotheses.

Symptoms of Washerwoman's Hands: 1. Acute stage of the disease: after two to three days of being in water, the epidermis of the hands swells and begins to quickly wrinkle, forming multiple tubercles and bumps, which subsequently begin to wrinkle and stand out brightly against the background of ordinary red palms. 2. Chronic stage: the skin of the hands loses its elasticity, becomes sluggish and soft to the touch, and the development of necrotic lesions is observed in areas of previously developed bumps. 3. Other symptoms: Some people experience difficulty breathing, changes in skin color, blurred vision, and others at the same time that Laundress Hand symptoms appear.

The most active process of maceration occurs in an aquatic environment, at a water temperature of 8-25 degrees Celsius. Let's consider the pattern of the maceration process: In order to determine the dependence of the depth of maceration on the time of post-mortem stay of corpses in water, the researchers measured the depth of maceration of the skin of the corpse's hand every 4 hours during the stay of the studied corpses in sea water. The results of the studies showed a constant depth of maceration and its sudden decrease 3 or 4 days after placing the corpses in water. In an aquatic environment, the maceration process is most active from the first hours of the corpses being in water at high temperatures. In addition, the dependence of the depth of maceration on the duration of the corpse’s stay in the aquatic environment was determined. Data processing showed that the depth of maceration begins to increase after the first day of stay in the marine environment and continues to increase until the third or fourth day, reaching its peak on the sixth or seventh day, after which a sharp reduction occurs due to the rapid development of skin autoflora and the transition to the putrefactive process. An important point in the development of maceration is the duration of skin contact with sea water, especially after a long stay of corpses. Short baths in sea water also lead to maceration, which cannot be said about fresh water. For example, if we decide to analyze the development of maceration at the level of skin cells (dye the skin of the body with dyes), we will find that the most profound changes occur in the basal layer of the epidermis - the cells of the basal layer lose their processes, disintegrate in response to mechanical injuries that occur when microscopic increments are removed from the surface of the skin. Because of this, the basal layer is destroyed, resulting in thick, white, soft skin without hair stubble. These changes are not reversible, and even if the substance is removed from the skin with distilled water, the superficial dermis without the basal and spinous layers will remain. This also explains the different skin color during maceration. The black or blue color of the skin appears due to the accumulation of humic substances contained in polycyclic hydrocarbons. This also explains the greater density of these substances compared to human skin - just five minutes of rubbing the white part of the head with a brush leads to the formation of blue spots. The same thing happens on the skin of the hands. These substances also cause severe pigmentation of tattoos in animals, especially porpoises and harbor seals. In addition, it was found that maceration caused by seawater leads to a rapid change in body temperature - after the bones dry out, it will take about five weeks for the temperature to normalize. This process important in determining the time of death of a person found in water without signs of decomposition. Another important indicator of maceration is changes in the port channel. After burying the skeleton (in soil to prevent the growth of animals that could be eaten), a rapidly hardened milky milk will be found

Washerman's hand is one of the most well-known types of yellowing of the skin on the arms and legs that can appear in people suffering from chronic kidney failure. This is a serious disease that affects the functioning of the kidneys and can lead to a number of serious complications, including death.

Washerwoman's hand occurs because the skin