Corpse Changes

Cadaveric changes: science and facts

Death is an inevitable process that inevitably occurs for each of us eventually. However, its exact nature and causes still remain unclear and cause much discussion and controversy among scientists and the public. One of the most interesting aspects of death is the cadaveric changes that occur in the body after it occurs.

What are cadaveric changes? This is the general name for the morphological changes that occur in the body after the death of the organism. They involve a series of changes in tissues, organs and systems of the body that lead to irreversible damage. These changes cause characteristic changes in the biological activity of the body, making it inhospitable to bacteria and other microorganisms. As a result of this process, specific signs of death appear, such as rigor mortis, cooling of bodies, separation of the mucous membrane, etc.

One of the reasons for the appearance of cadaveric changes is a violation of the blood supply to tissues as a result of blood retention in the heart. This leads to a slowdown in the process of carbohydrate oxidation and energy production that occurs during the life of the body. As oxygen in the tissues of the brain and heart becomes less and less, they begin to slow down and gradually die, starting with the most important organs.

Cadaveric changes begin immediately after death and, depending on the specific area of ​​the body, can range from gradual to abrupt and immediate. Some of them have an immediate effect, such as a cold body, pale skin, hair loss and cessation of breathing. Others may develop later and be invisible to external observation, such as bone resorption or organ adhesion

Cadaveric changes are a whole complex of morphological and chemical changes that occur to the body after death. This process occurs according to a number of patterns that make it possible to identify the stages and condition of the corpse during the autopsy. Cadaveric changes are not only signs of death, but also the dynamics of their appearance, that is, those processes and phenomena that we observe at various stages of decomposition of the human body after his death. The time from the moment of death until the body of the deceased enters a specialized morgue (the autopsy will be performed by a pathologist or forensic expert) usually does not exceed 15 days. Knowing what you can expect to see in the first minutes of a body arriving at a forensic morgue is important from a practical point of view. Exhumation of the dead does not present any particular difficulties, but a preliminary assessment of the situation is quite possible. If upon admission the body shows active signs of cadaveric decomposition within a few minutes, this indicates that the body has already been in decomposition for 3-4 days. If the body has acquired greenish-gray shades, and after the autopsy there is sharp decay, we can talk about the state of the body from 7 to 14 days after death. At 16-21 days ago, the rotting is smooth, without excesses. Also, one of the indicators is body humidity. Because At room temperature, the body quickly loses moisture, so after a few hours in water it usually dries out to the point of mummification. Often a carcass is found floating in a pond, and at first glance, death has occurred