Death Flashcards
True about death EXCEPT
a. the civil personality of a natural person is not extinguished by death
b. The property of a person is transmitted to his heirs at the time of death
c. the death of a partner is one of the causes of dissolution of partnership agreement
d. death of either the principal or agent
e. NOTA (all are true)
A; civil personality of a natural person is extinguished by death.
Definition of “Life”
Sum of all the vital processes by which the physical integrity of the body is maintained
Definition of Death
Termination of life and the complete cessation of vital functions without the possibility of resuscitation.
A continuous process, while death is an event that takes place at a precise time. The ascertainment of death is a clinical and not a legal process.
Dying
Type of death where there is unreceptivity and unresponsibility, no movements or breathing (at least 1 hr), no reflexes, flat EEG, potential organ donors
Brain Death
Complete, persistent and continuous cessation of the vital functions of the brain, heart and lugs which maintain life and health
Somatic or clinical death
Not really death but merely a transient loss of consciousness or temporary cessation of the vital functions of the body on account of disease, external stimulus or other forms of influence
Apparent death
After the cessation of the vital functions of the body, there is still animal life among individual cells
molecular or cellular death
Death in individual cells occur after _ to _ hrs
3-6 hrs
Signs of Death (6)
- Cessation of heart and circulation
- Cessation of respiration
- Cooling of the body
- Insensibility of the body and loss of power to move
- Changes in the skin
- Changes about the eye
2 components of examination of the heart (signs of death)
- palpation of the pulse
2. auscultation for the heart sound at the precordial area
Ligature is applied around the base of a finger with moderate tightness. In a living person, there appears a bloodless zone at the site of the application. If such ligature is applied on a dead man, there is no change in color. What test?
Magnus test
Injection of a solution of fluorescein subcutaneously; if circulation is still present, the dye will spread all over the body and the whole skin will have greenish-yellow discoloration. What test?
Icards’ test
The fingers are spread wide and the finger webs are viewed through a strong light. In the living, the finger webs appear red but yellow in the dead. What test?
Diaphanous test
What would be the reaction of the skin of a dead person if you drop melted wax on the breast?
no inflammatory edema at the neighborhood of the dropped melted wax
There is no movement of the image formed by reflecting artificial light on the water or mercury contained in a saucer and placed on chest or abdomen if respiration is not taking place.
Winslow test
True about algor mortis EXCEPT
a. after death, the metabolic process inside the body ceases
b. No more heat is produced but the body loses slowly its temperature by evaporation or by conduction to the surrounding atmosphere
c. Post mortem caloricity happens in the first 3 hours of death
d. the progressive fall of body temp is one of the most prominent signs of death
C; first 2 hours
What is one of the most prominent signs of death?
progressive fall of the body temp
What do you call the rise in body temp after death that usually happens in the first 2 hours of death.
Post mortem caloricity
Cooling is delayed in the following conditions EXCEPT
a. acute pyrexial disease
b. sudden death in good health
c. Obesity
d. Death from asphyxia
e. long-standing or lingering illness
E. Accelerate cooling: CELL Leanness of the body Extreme age Long-standing or lingering illness Chronic pyrexial disease associated with wasiting
Cooling is accelerated in the following conditions EXCEPT:
a. unclothed body
b. conditions allowing the access of air
c. small room
d. body is in water
C; External conditions that delay cooling: CWSW Clothing Want of access of air to the body Small room Warm surroundings
As a general rule, the body attains the temperature of the surrounding air from _____ hours after death in tropical countries
12-15 hours
half life of body temp:
2 hours
What do you call the phenomenon when body becomes flattened over the areas which are in contact with the surface it rests
Post-mortem contact flattening
4 changes about the eye after death
CFPOT
- Clouding of cornea
- Flaccidity of the eyeball
- Pupil is in position of rest
- Opthalmoscopic findings
- Tache noir de la sclerotique
What is tache noir de sclerotique?
Spot that appears on sclera, may be oval, round or triangular with the base towards the corner and may appear in the sclera a few hours after death.
3 stages of muscle changes after death
- Stage of primary flaccidity or period of muscular irritability
- Post-mortem rigidity
- Stage of secondary falccidity or secondary relaxation
Extremities are flexed, lower jaw falls, eyeball loses tension, there may be incontinence. Lasts for about 3-6 hours
Stage of primary flaccidity or period of muscular irritability
Onset 3-6 hours after death. Muscles gradually stiffen, neck and lower jaw spreads downwards, body becomes stiff, all muscles are involved.
Stage of post-mortem rigidity (Rigor mortis, cadaveric rigidity)
Muscles become soft and flaccid, does not respond to mechanical or electrical stimulus.
Stage of secondary flaccidity or secondary relaxation
True about heat stiffening
a. occurs if the body is exposed to temp above 65 degC
b. the stiffening is temporary
c. the body assumes a pugillistic attitude
d. Pugillistic attitude means lower and upper ex extended, hands clenched
C;
A: 75degC
B. more or less permanent
D. commonly observed when the body is placed in boiling fluid or when body is burned to death
True about cold stiffening
a. Cold stiffening is permanent
b. due to solidification of water in freezing temperatures
c. both
d. neither
D
A: stiffening of the body may be manifested when the body is frozen but exposure to warm condition will make such stiffening disappear
B. The cold stiffening is due to solidification of fat
The following statements favor cadaveric spasm over rigor mortis
a. 3-6 hours after death
b. all muscles of the body
c. used to approximate the time of death
d. none of the above
D
Rigor mortis: 3-6 hours after death, all muscles of the body, natural phenomenon, used to approximate time of death
Cadaveric spasm: immediately after death, certain muscles or group of muscles, may or may not appear, determine the nature of the crime
Blood may remain fluid inside the blood after death for __ hours
6-8 hours
the following statements favor ante-mortem clot EXCEPT
a. firm consistency
b. raw after clots are removed
c. homogenous so it cannot be stripped
d. distinct layers, nonuniform
D;
ante-mortem clot: firm consistency, raw after clots are removed, homogenous so it cannot be stripped into layers, uniform color
Post-mortem clot: soft, smooth and healthy after the clots are removed, stripped off in layers, nonuniform, distinct layers
Blood accumulates in the most dependent portions of the body. Cappilaries may be distended with blood and they coalesce with one another until the whole area becomes dull-red or purplish in color. What do you call this?
Post-mortem lividity Cadaveric lividity Post-mortem suggilation Pos-mortem Hypostasis Livor mortis
True about physical characteristics of post-mortem (cadaveric lividity)
a. spares most dependent portions of the body
b. involves deep layers of the skin
c. appears elevated from the rest of the skin
d. color is uniform but color may become greenish
e. no injury of the skin
D
a. occurs in most extensive and most dependent portions of the body
b. involves the superficial layer of the skin
c. does not appear elevated from the rest of the skin
d. color is uniform but the color may become greenish at the start of decomposition
d. no injury to the skin.
Kinds of post-mortem (cadaveric lividity) 2
hypostatic
diffusion
True about post-mortem lividity
a. hypostatic lividity appears during the later stage, when blood has coagulated inside the blood vessel
b. Diffusion occurs because blood merely gravitates into the most dependent portions but still inside blood vessels in fluid form
c. both
d. neither
D.
hypostatic lividity:
blood merely gravitates into the most dependent portions but still inside the blood vessel in fluid form
diffusion:
Appears during the later stage of its formation when the blood has coagulated inside the blood vessel.
Importance of cadaveric lividity (4)
- it is one of the signs of death
- it may determine whether the position of the body has been changed after its appearance in the body.
- The color of the lividity may indicate the cause of death
- It may determine how long the person has been dead
Match Column A with Column B A Asphyxia Carbon monoxide Hemorrhage Anemia Hydrocyanic acid Phosphorous Potassium Chlorate Potassium Dichromate Snow or Ice
B Bright red Bright pink Less dark Dark Bright red Dark Brown Chocolate or coffee brown
Asphyxia - dark Carbon monoxide - bright pink Hemorrhage, anemia - less dark Hydrocyanic Acid - bright red Phosphorous - Dark brown Potassium Chlorate - Chocolate or coffee brown Potassium dichromate - chocolate or coffee brown Snow or ice - bright red
The process of breaking down of the complex proteins into simpler components associated with the evolution of foul smelling gases and accompanied by the change of color of the body
Putrefaction
Prominence of the superficial veins with reddish discoloration during the process of decomposition which develops on both flanks of the abdomen, root of the neck and shoulder.
Marbolization
True about putrefaction EXCEPT
a. the earliest change is greenish color of the skin seen at the region of the L iliac fossa and it gradually spreads over the whole abdominal wall.
b. formation of gases cause the distention and bloating of the abdomen, but not the whole body.
c. Highly muscular organs and tissues putrefy relatively early
d. AOTA (none are true)
e. NOTA (all are true)
D
earliest change - R iliac fossa
bloating of the whole body
highly musuclar - putrefy late
Order of putrefaction when body is in water:arrange
- shoulders
- arms
- face and neck or sternum
- legs
- abdomen
3-1-2-5-4
Factors that influence floating (6)
Age Sex Condition of the body Season of the year Body of water Others
The following statements are true EXCEPT
a. well-nourished newly born infants float rapidly
b. women float sooner than en
c. obese persons float sooner than skinny
d. moist hot air delays floating of body
e. easier to float in sea than fresh water
D;
moist hot air accelerates floating
True about internal factors modifying rate of putrefaction EXCEPT
a. healthy adults decompose later than infants
b. markedly emaciated person has tendency to mummify
c. full-grown highly obese decompose more rapidly than skinny
d. still-born: decomposition is retarded
e. NOTA
f. AOTA
E; all are true
True about external factors modifying rate of putrefaction EXCEPT
a. Accessibility of the body to free air will hasten decomposition
b. Excessive amount of moisture will prevent access of air to the body thereby delaying decomposition
c. optimum temp for specific decomposition is 60-100degC
d. NOTA (all are true)
C. 70-100 degC
True about external factors modifying rate of putrefaction EXCEPT
a. clothings initially hastens putrefaction by maintaining body temp
b. decomposition is more rapid in still water than running water
c. dry absorbent soil retards decomposition
d. NOTA (all are true)
B. decomposition is more rapid in running water
dehydration of the whole body which results in shivering and preservation of the body. What do you call this?
Mummification
condition wherein the fatty tissues of the body are transformed to soft brownish-white substance
saponification or adipocere formation
this is the softening of the tissues when in a fluid medium in the absence of putrefactive microorganisms which is frequently observed in the death of the fetus in utero
maceration
Duration of death
-presence of rigor mortis, warm countries
2-3 hours after death (warm countries)
Duration of death
-presence of rigor mortis, fully developed
12 hours after death
