Topic 6 Flashcards
What can be examined to determine the time of death of a mammal?
Extent of decomposition
Stages of sucession
Forensic entomology
Body temperature
Degree of muscle contraction
What is the human core body temperature?
36.2°C-37.6°C
Why does body temperature drop when you die?
Heat-producing chemical reactions stop
How is core body temperature measured?
Via the rectum or through an abdmonal stab using a long thermometer
Why must a long thermometer be used to determine core body temperature?
An ordinary clinical thermometer is too short and has too small a temperature range
Aside from a long thermometer, what may also be used to measure core body temperature?
An electronic temperature probe
What must be noted when using core body temp to determine time of death?
Environmental conditions
They will affect how the body has cooled
What type of graph does the cooling of the body follow?
A sigmoid curve
(S-shaped curve)
After a person has died, how long does the inital temperature plateau last?
Between 30 and 60 mins
What does the sigmoid curve graph of body temp after death assume?
That the person’s body temp was the normal 37°C at the time of death
Why might someone’s core body temp not be the usual 37°C when they die?
They may have a fever or hypothermia, meaning their body temp will be higher/lower than normal
Which part of the sigmoid curve of body temp is used to estimate time of death?
The near-linear part
(the middle bit)
What does the near-linear part of the sigmoid curve show?
Temperature decline per hour
What factors affect post-mortem cooling?
Body size
Body position
Clothing
Air movement
Humidity
Temp of surroundings
If body is in water
Why do bodies immersed in water cool more rapidly than those in air?
Water is a better conductor than air
What does rigor mortis mean?
Literally ‘stiffness of death’
It is the stiffening of muscles after death
