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Forensic Pathology

TermDefinition 1Defintion 2Definition 3Definition 4
clinical autopsy This procedure is performed when a family wants more information on the non-suspicious, natural death of a loved one
forensic autopsy This procedure is performed when investigating someone’s death if foul play is suspected
coroner This person does not need to be a licensed medical physician This person is responsible for making sure as corpse is identified and notifying the family This person could be elected or appointed
medical examiner This person is responsible for conducting an autopsy and must be a medical doctor This person is also known as a forensic pathologist This person determines the manner, cause, and mechanism of death for a given body
rigor mortis In this process, muscles throughout the body “stiffen up” Exercise before death can cause to this after-death process to happen faster Colder than normal conditions can cause this after-death process to happen slower
livor mortis In this after-death process, blood pools to the lower sections of a body due to gravity To determine if this after-death process has become fixed, the skin should be pressed to look for a color change This after-death body change can be used to determine if a body has been moved
algor mortis This after-death process involves the body cooling until it reaches the ambient temperature of the environment Colder than normal conditions can cause this after-death process to happen faster This after-death process would not take place in extremely hot temperature environments
pallor mortis This after-death process happens almost immediately and involves skin becomes paler than normal Corneas break down, causing a cloudy blue/white film over the eyes in this after-death process
stomach contents These can used to to determine how long it has been since a person ate their last meal These can be used to identify plant products consumed before death These include matter found in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine of a corpse
bloat stage In this decomposition stage, the body has started to change color, which is call the “marbling” effect In this decomposition stage, the body is filling with gases due to bacteria breaking down the bodily contents This decomposition stage happens in approximately the first 10 days after death
active decay stage In this decomposition stage, the body is leaking lots of fluids, the smell is harsh, and insect activity is heavy This decomposition stage takes place approximately 10 to 20 days after death
dry decay stage In this decomposition stage, decay is advanced and most fluids are gone. The skin may have a leathery appearance. This decomposition stage approximately begins around 20 days after death, but how much time it take varies widely with the environment conditions
skeletonization stage This is the final decomposition stage. In this decomposition stage, bones are all that is left of the corpse.
fresh stage This is the first stage of decomposition. In this stage of decomposition, the body looks generally normal from the outside, but cellular death is happening inside. This stage of decomposition generally takes less than a day.
2 hours This is approximately how long takes for rigor mortis to begin This is approximately how long takes for livor mortis to begin This is approximately how long takes for eyes to become cloudy if they are open This is approximately how long takes for a body to experience a 2.8O drop in temp under normal conditions
8 hours This is approximately how long takes for the body to experience fixed lividity If a body shows dual lividity (livor mortis in two opposite locations at once), the body was moved before this much time had passed after death If the body’s skin is pressed and there is no color change, this much time must have passed after death
12 hours This is approximately how long takes for a body to be in full rigor In normal conditions, this is how much time has passed if a body is 81.8O. When this much time has passed after death, algor mortis causes body temp. to drop by 0.7o/hour instead of 1.4o
24 hours This is approximately how long takes for rigor mortis to begin to break down This is approximately how long after death it takes for eyes to turn cloudy if they were closed
cellular death This occurs in totally healthy people, as well as before, during, and after bodily death
bodily death This only happens once enough cells have died that the heart and/or brain has stopped functioning
2 weeks The amount of decomposition seen after this amount of time for a body in water is equivalent to 8 weeks for a body buried underground The amount of decomposition seen after 1 week for a body in open air is equivalent to this amount of time for a body in water
8 weeks The amount of decomposition seen after 1 week for a body in open air is equivalent to this amount of time for a body buried underground The amount of decomposition seen after this amount of time for a body in water is equivalent to 4 weeks for a body in open air
manner of death This term describes the “intent” involved in the circumstances of a death Along with the cause of death, this must be listed on a death certificate Examples of this include accidental, suicide, homicide, undetermined, and natural In the JFK assassination, this was homicide
cause of death This term describes the event that led to someone’s death. Examples of this include stabbing, hanging, and heart attack. In a car accident is massive trauma to the body is a possible one of these
mechanism of death This term describes the medical reason for someone’s bodily death. Examples of this include asphyxiation, cardiac arrhythmia, and exsanguination. When someone is shot in the head this is likely cessation of brain function.
port-mortem interval This is how much time has passed since death for a given body. By analyzing pallor mortis, rigor mortis, algor mortis, livor mortis, and stomach contents, forensic pathologists make an expert determination of this for a given body.
Created by: Tdavenport
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