Chapter 12 Vocabulary - Death: Manner, Mechanism, and Cause Flashcards
Algor Mortis
Cooling of the body after death.
Autolysis
The breakdown of cells as they self-digest.
Autopsy
A medical examination to determine the cause of death.
Cause of Death
The injury or condition responsible for a person’s death such as heart attack, kidney failure.
Coroner
An elected official, either a layman or physician, who certifies deaths and can order additional investigations of suspicious deaths.
Decomposition
The breakdown of once-living matter by living organisms.
Livor Mortis
The pooling of the blood in tissues after death that results in a red skin color.
Manner of Death
The specific physiological, physical, or chemical event that stops life; one of the five ways in which a person’s death is classified.
Medical Examiner
A physician who performs autopsies, determines the cause and manner of death, and oversees death investigations.
Putrefaction
Destruction of soft tissue by bacteria that results in the release of waste gases and fluids.
Rigor Mortis
The stiffening of the skeletal muscles after death.
Mechanism of Death
Describes the specific change in the body that brought about the cessation of life.
Lividity
Purple-ish, red color.
Marbling
Skin discoloration that occurs as a result of protein decomposition.
