autopsy vocab

Abrasion

A scrape where the skin is rubbed off

Algor Mortis

Body cooling after death

Antemortem

Before death

Asphyxia

Death from lack of oxygen

Autopsy

Examination of a body to find cause of death

Contact Wound

Gunshot wound where the gun touches the skin

Contusion

A bruise

Coronary Arteries

 Blood vessels that supply the heart

Coroner

Official who investigates deaths

Decedent

A dead person

Distal

Farther from the body’s center

Edema

Swelling from fluid buildup

Embolism

Blockage of a blood vessel

Hematoma

A large, swollen blood bruise

Laceration

 A tear or deep cut in skin

Ligature

Material used to bind or strangle

Lividity

Pooling of blood after death

Livor Mortis

Purplish skin discoloration after death

Pathology

Study of disease

Perimortem

Around the time of death

Postmortem

After death

Proximal

Closer to the body’s center

Rigor Mortis

Stiffening of muscles after death

Taphonomy

What happens to a body after death

Virtual Autopsy

Digital scan instead of a physical autopsy