2023-05-04 21:37:44
The human body undergoes various changes following death. These changes are part of the dynamic process and initiate the definitive extinction of vital functions.
Death is an uncomfortable and delicate subject for most people. In general, there is a latent anxiety regarding the different stages that the body goes through once dead. Some people wonder what physically happens in the body a few hours following death.
The irreversible cessation of vital functions that sustain life is a dynamic phenomenon influenced by various factors. Studies show thatfollowing death, a series of structural, physical and chemical changes known as cadaverous phenomena are triggered in the body.
Thus, the process of death goes through several phases. Each of these physical changes occurs within a certain period of time and is useful for forensic and forensic medicine.
The state of death
Most people think of the state of death as the absence of a pulse and the cessation of breathing. However, it is a complex process that extends beyond circulatory and pulmonary collapsewhich in some cases may be reversible by resuscitation.
Currently, electrocardiographic studies of deceased patients suggest that the human brain continues to function for up to 10 minutes following death. Thus, the body might remain, in a way, aware of the imminence of death.
Health professionals then use various criteria to declare the death of a person. Among them are the lack of response to reflexes, the absence of pupillary contraction to light, as well as the irreversible cessation of pulse and breathing.
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What changes does the body undergo following death?
At the time when life is extinguished, the human body undergoes several changes resulting from the biochemical processes of the corpse and exposure to the environment around it. It is possible to classify these physical alterations into early and late changes.
First changes
Early changes are those that occur in the body 24 hours following death. Within them we can find the following.
Lividities
With the stopping of the heart’s blood pumping, the skin tends to turn pale in the first few minutes following death. Then the blood will begin to distribute by gravity to the parts of the body closest to the ground, forming livid or bruise of death. These are just purplish spots in areas of decline.
In general, these lesions are very useful in determining the position of the body at the time of death. These can be changed by moving the body within the first 12 hours. After 24 hours of death, new ones will not form.
Cooling
A characteristic sign of death is loss of body temperature or anguish of death. This cadaverous cooling occurs in the first 24 hours following death, until the corpse acquires the temperature of the air surrounding it.
At death, heat loss occurs at a rate of 1 degree Celsius per hour, depending on atmospheric conditions. Coldness is usually most evident early in the face and hands, and later in the neck and armpits. Overweight people tend to calm down more slowly.
Rigidity
Within the first hour following death, all the smooth and striated musculature of the body begins to relax in a phase called primary flaccidity. Because of this, the joints of the body become supple, the eyelids lose their tone and the jaw tends to open.
Later, a state of hardening and petrification of the muscles known as stiffness of death will be established. This starts from the smallest muscles of the face and goes down to the rest of the body, favoring its discreet retraction. It reaches its maximum intensity between 12 and 15 hours following death.
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Dehydration
This phenomenon is the result of continuous and passive exposure of bodily fluids to the environment.. Dehydration is usually manifested by a scroll of the skin, desiccation of the mucous membranes and genitals and collapse of the eyeballs.
Similarly, it is common for there to be accentuation of bony prominences in the chest, thorax and hips. In addition, in young children, there is a sudden and general weight loss.
Late changes
Late body changes occur following the first 24 to 36 hours following death. They obey the natural evolution of the corpse and lead to the progressive destruction of organs and tissues. In this sense, we can find the following phenomena.
Autolysis or autodigestion
Autodigestion begins when the heart stops beating and the tissues are deprived of oxygen. However, the physical changes begin to become apparent several hours later. Research indicates that this step is the result of the action of the body’s own enzymes on cell membranes.
Likewise, the phenomenon usually begins with greater intensity in the liver, kidneys, adrenal glands and stomach. In addition, the brain is prone to autolysis due to its high water content.
Putrefaction
The cadaveric ecosystem is made up of bacteria that live in and on the surface of the body. The intestinal microbiota, especially that of the cecum, is the main source of germs in the human body. However, as long as the person is alive, most organs are free of germs.
In this sense, soon following death, the immune system is disabled and the bacteria can spread freely in all tissues. This fact conditions the beginning of putrefaction following the fermentative action of bacterial enzymes on the cells.
In the first 24-48 hours, greenish and blackish spots appear around the abdomen due to the action of anaerobic bacteria on the blood vessels. Later, the gas produced by the microbial action causes distension of the abdomen, protrusion of the eyes and protrusion of the tongue.
This fact gives way to the final phase of decomposition known as liquefaction. In this, the tissues are destroyed and are expelled as a brown, putrefied liquid. In the same way, the body gradually decreases in volume and is then destroyed by the action of insects and other animals.
Death, a complex process that begins with the cessation of vital functions
Death is a complex pathological state that begins with the irreversible collapse of vital functions and the cessation of brain capacity. After death, the human body undergoes a series of physical and biochemical changes and modifications that lead to the breakdown of all organs and tissues.
In general, these alterations occur continuously in all corpses, influenced by the cause of death and environmental variations. They constitute the main object of study of forensic and forensic medicine.
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