Death: Manner, Mechanism, and Cause

Flashcards covering vocabulary terms about the manner, mechanism, and cause of death.

Manner of Death (MOD)

Official terms including: Natural, Accidental, Suicidal, Homicidal, and Undetermined.

Natural Death

Interruption/failure of body functions from age or disease

Accidental Death

Unplanned events such as a car and factory accidents or falling from a ladder

Suicidal Death

When a person purposely kills oneself

Homicidal Death

Death of one person caused by another

Undetermined Death

Listed as the official cause when cause cannot be determined; has no strong evidence or contradictory evidence

Postmortem Interval (PMI)

The time between death and body discovery

Estimating PMI

Livor mortis, Algor mortis, Rigor mortis, Stomach and intestinal contents, and Stages of decomposition

Mechanism of Death

The specific change in the body that brought about the cessation of life

Autopsy

Medical examination to determine the cause and manner of death

Autolysis

Cell Self-Digestion: Cellular enzymes released into the cell which rupture the membrane

Livor Mortis

Death color; red blood cells break down and spill out contents, blood seeps down and settles in lower parts of body

Rigor Mortis

Death stiffness; no oxygen causes calcium to build up in muscles

Factors affecting Rigor Mortis

Affected by temperature, body weight, clothing, illness, sun exposure, and level of activity before death

Algor Mortis

Death heat; the body no longer generates heat and begins to cool down

Factors affecting Algor Mortis

Affected by body surface area to mass ratio, body position, clothing, environment, and submerged bodies

At the moment of Death

The heart stops, the skin gets tight and grey, all the muscles relax, and the bladder and bowels empty.

Initial Decay (Days 0-3)

Corpse appears normal but the body is breaking down from cell death and the temperature drops.

Putrefaction (Days 4-10)

Corpse appears bloated and swollen; the abdomen greatly swells and skin blisters. Body begins to smell. Skin slips & hair and nails fall off

Active Decay (Days 10-20)

Body has a very strong odor, flesh is black colored and skin has ruptured- seeping fluids and gases, most of the body mass disappears due to insect activity