Signs of death

-Pallormortis
-Algor mortis
-Rigor mortis
-Livor mortis
-Decomposition

Pallor mortis
Pallor mortis (Latin: paleness of death) is a postmortem paleness which happens almost
instantaneously (in the 15–120 minutes after the death) because of a lack of capillary
circulation throughout the body. Paleness develops so rapidly after death that it has little
to no use in determining the time of death.
Algor mortis
Algor mortis (Latin: algor—coolness; mortis—of death) is the reduction in body
temperature following death. This is generally a steady decline until matching ambient
temperature, although external factors can have a significant influence.
A measured rectal temperature can give some indication of the time of death. Although
the heat conduction which leads to body cooling follows an exponential decay curve, it
can be approximated as a linear process: between 1 and 1.5° Fahrenheit per hour until
the body nears ambient temperature.

Rigor mortis
Shortly after death all the muscles in the body become soft and flaccid. At a variable time
later, they become firm and rigid. This is known as rigor mortis. Rigor commences in the
smallest muscles such as those in the face and the hands, and then extends to the limb
muscles. Rigor can be ‘broken’ by stretching the muscle, for example by moving the jaw
or the elbow, and does not then return.

Rigor is brought about by a chemical change in the muscle. The normal reaction between
adenosine triphosphate and adenosine diphosphate (ATP and ADP) within the muscle
fibres, which supplies energy for their contraction during life, ceases and the ATP level in
the muscle progressively diminishes. This is accompanied by accumulation of lactic acid
and a fall of pH (increase in acidity), which leads to stiffening and firmness. Whether or
not the muscle fibres actually shorten has not been established.

Temperature is an important factor in determining the time of onset of rigor. In normal

circumstances and at room temperature rigor is complete in about three to six hours. If
the temperature is higher the onset is more rapid — perhaps no more than an hour in
tropical temperatures. Conversely, the onset of rigor is delayed at low temperatures. In
cases of drowning in cold water, for example, rigor may not appear until the body has
been removed from the water, even after several days of immersion. The onset of rigor is
hastened if there has been intense physical activity shortly before death. Thus, in forensic
medical practice, the presence of rigor is a poor determinant of the time of death. Once
established, the duration of rigor ranges from 18 to 36 hours.

Food and Nutrition: rigor mortis

Stiffening of muscle that occurs after death. As the flow of blood ceases, anaerobic
metabolism leads to the formation of lactic acid and the soft, pliable muscle becomes stiff
and rigid. If meat is hung in a cool place for a few days (‘conditioned’), the meat softens
again. Fish similarly undergo rigor mortis but it is usually of shorter duration than in
mammals.

Description

Assuming mild temperatures, rigor usually sets in about 3-4 hours after clinical death,
with full rigor being in effect at about 12 hours, and eventually subsiding to relaxation at
about 72 hours. Times for the onset of rigor mortis can vary from a few minutes to
several hours depending on the ambient temperature. Factors influencing rigor mortis
include the age and condition of the body, as well as the mode of death and the
surroundings. For example, rigor mortis will tend to set in faster in those who were active
immediately prior to death.

Biochemistry

The biochemical cause of rigor mortis is hydrolysis of ATP, the chemical energy source
required for movement, in the muscle tissue. Myosin molecules devoid of ATP become
permanently adherent to actin filaments to form actomyosin complex, causing muscles to
become rigid. After the pH of the muscle has become 5.5, release of autolytic enzymes
stored in lysosomes will take place. The major proteolytic enzymes are Cathepsins and
Calpains. These enzymes act at the myofibrillar proteins and hydrolyse them. As a result,
the actomyosin complex is broken down and muscles become "soft" again. This is known
as resolution of rigor.

Forensics

Rigor Mortis is important in forensics as it allows the pathologist to estimate time of

death and to determine position of the body at time of death. Conditions similar to rigor
mortis include freezing of the body, heat coagulation, putrefaction and cadaveric spasm.

Rigor mortis and the meat industry

Rigor mortis is very important in meat technology. The onset of rigor mortis and its
resolution partially determines the tenderness of meat. If the post-slaughter meat is
immediately chilled to 15 °C, a phenomenon known as cold shortening occurs, where the
muscle shrinks to a third of its original size. This will lead to the loss of water from the
meat along with many of the vitamins, minerals, and water soluble proteins. The loss of
water makes the meat hard and interferes with the manufacturing of several meat
products like cutlet and sausage.
Cold shortening is caused by the release of stored calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic
reticulum of muscle fibers in response to the cold stimulus. The calcium ions trigger
powerful muscle contraction aided by ATP molecules. To prevent cold shortening, a
process known as electrical stimulation is carried out, especially in beef carcass,
immediately after slaughter. In this process, the carcass is stimulated with alternating
current, causing it to contract and relax which depletes the ATP reserve from the carcass
and prevents cold shortening.

Livor mortis
Livor mortis or postmortem lividity (Latin: livor—bluish color, mortis—of death), one
of the signs of death, is a settling of the blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the
body, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin: when the heart is no longer
agitating the blood, heavy red blood cells sink through the serum by action of gravity.
This discoloration does not occur in the areas of the body that are in contact with the
ground or another object, as the capillaries are compressed.

Coroners can use the presence or absence of livor mortis as a means of determining an
approximate time of death. The presence of livor mortis is an indication not to start CPR,
or to stop it if it is in progress. It can also be used by forensic investigators to determine
whether or not a body has been moved (for instance, if the body is found lying face down
but the pooling is present on its back, investigators can determine that the body was
originally positioned face up).

Livor mortis starts 20 minutes to 3 hours after death and is congealed in the capillaries in
4 to 5 hours. Maximum lividity occurs within 6-12 hours.

Decomposition
Decomposition begins at the moment of death, caused by two factors: autolysis, the
breaking down of tissues by the body's own internal chemicals and enzymes; and
putrefaction, the breakdown of tissues by bacteria. These processes release gases that are
the chief source of the characteristic odor of dead bodies. These gases swell the body.

Scavengers play an important role in decomposition. Insects and other animals are
typically the next agent of decomposition, if the body is accessible to them. The most
important insects that are typically involved in the process include the fleshflies
(Sarcophagidae) and blowflies (Calliphoridae). The green-bottle fly seen in the summer is
a blowfly. Larger scavengers, including coyotes, dogs, wolves, foxes, rats, and mice may
eat a body if it is accessible to them. Some of these animals also remove and scatter
bones.

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