Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Forensics Test 12/5
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| What is the job of a medical examiner? | To identify the body, collect the body for examination and autopsy, determine cause and manner of death, and determine time of death |
| Common methods for identifying a body | Fingerprinting, Dental Records and Asking Friends/Family |
| Medical Examiners are also referred to as……..? | Forensic Pathologists |
| What is a forensic pathologist? | They investigate any death that is violent, unnatural or unexplained |
| Training to become a Forensic Pathologist takes at least.. | 13 years |
| Medical Examiners are part doctors, part detectives, and part.. | Grief Counselor |
| Every decedent needs a | Death Certificate |
| Death Certificate | The legal ‘key’ that the family needs in order to collect insurance, etc. |
| Medical Examiners go to the scene of the death | True |
| Fingerprints of the deceased are taken | True |
| MEs work to help the family cope with the death of their loved one. | True |
| MEs testify in court about their findings. | True |
| To respect the dead, organs are left inside the body. | False |
| MEs only do autopsies if there is suspicion of homicide. | False |
| MEs work individually and do not collaborate with others. | False |
| Most of bodies in the morgue are unidentified. | False |
| It is the ME’s job to determine the cause and manner of death. With this in mind, why is it so important that the ME visit the crime scene before the body is moved? | Seeing how the body was laying in relation to the scene and to the physical evidence can give the ME clues about what may have been the cause of death. |
| Four causes of death | Natural causes, suicide, homicide, accidental |
| Asphyxiation | Death by lack of oxygen. (strangulation or suffocation) |
| Signs of Asphyxiation | - Broken blood vessels in the eyes and in the lung tissue due to pressure built up when struggling to breath - Bruising or marks around the neck - Broken hyoid bone in the neck - Crushed trachea |
| Clues that victim drowned | - Water in the lungs - Plant matter/sand in the lungs - Water microorganisms in the lungs |
| Why would water, sand, etc NOT be in the lungs if a person was dead before they entered the water? | A living person will try to breath, and will pull in water, dirt, etc into the lung. If the person is dead already, they will not take in the water (not breathing). |
| What clues would you expect to find that would show the victim died in freshwater, and not in the ocean? | Freshwater of the bathtub would not have the plant matter, sand, and microorganisms that would be found in ocean water. The water in the lungs would be fresh, not salt water, and would likely have fluoride and/or chlorine that is commonly used in city wat |
| If there is suspicion of drugs or poison, the ME will.... | Take body fluid samples, which are sent to the Toxicology Lab to test for drugs or poisons. |
| Gunshot Wound | Round wound, sometimes has an entry point and an exit |
| Abrasion | Skin is scraped, signs that a victim may have been dragged across the ground |
| Contusion | A bruise, indicates blunt force trauma to that part of the body |
| Knife Stab Wound | Important to note the width and depth of the wound, may indicate type of knife used |
| Laceration | Deep cut with unclean edges; tear in the skin |
| Defensive Wounds | Wounds on hands or arms when they are used to block an attacker |
| Estimating time since death is ONLY... | An estimation |
| Each method for determining time of death is approximate, and is affected by | Enviornmental factors |
| Using two or more methods for determining time of death makes the estimate | More reliable |
| What happens to your eyes after death? | The cells of the cornea dry out and break down make eyes cloudy. |
| What happens to the eyes two-three hours after death if eyes are open? | Eyes will be fully cloudy 2-3 hours after death. |
| What happens to the eyes if closed after death? | Eyes will be fully cloudy 24 hours after death. |
| Livor Mortis | At death, blood pools in the lowest part of the body due to gravity. |
| After death, Livor Mortis begins to be seen... | 1-2 hours after death |
| For a few hours, Livor Mortis has not yet ‘fixed’ so that if you push on the area... | A pale spot will appear due to blood being pushed away |
| Livor Mortis 6-8 hours after death | Livor Mortis is fixed and the blood has permanently stained the skin and does not change when touched or moved |
| Pale areas result when.. | The compression weight of the body prevents blood from entering blood vessels. |
| If a body is found in one position, but the Livor Mortis does not match, the body was…. | MOVED at least 6 hours after death! (it takes 6 hours for Livor Mortis to fix) |
| Rigor Mortis is | The stiffening of muscles after death. |
| What causes Rigor Mortis? | As cells break down, calcium is released into muscle tissue. Calcium causes muscle fibers to contract. ATP energy is needed to relax muscles - but no ATP is being generated in death, so the muscles stay contracted! |
| After death, Rigor Mortis begins 1-2 hours after death... | Small muscles (like muscles of the face, fingers) tense first... |
| A body is in full rigor (every muscle tensed) 8-12 hours after death... | Then larger muscles, like the arms and torso... |
| Muscle tissue breaks down (decomposes) so that the muscles are limp again after 24-48 hours after death.. | Finally the largest body muscles, which are in the legs. |
| Algor Mortis describes the cooling of a body after death. The human body is typically | 37 degrees celsius. |
| A body cools by 0.75 degrees C each hour for the first.. | 12 hours after death |
| A body cools by 0.4 degrees C every hour afterwards until... | Body reaches room temp |
| A body is found to be 34.75 degrees. About how long has it been since death? | 37 - 34.75 = 2.25 degrees of change 2.25 / 0.75 = 3 hours! |
| A body is found to be 26.8 degrees. About how long has it been since death? | If the temp is lower than 28 degrees, you know it has been longer than 12 hours 12 x 0.75 = 9 28 - 26.8 = 1.2 degrees. 1.2 / 0.4 = 3 hours, plus the 12 hours = 16 hours total |
| Algor Mortis | The second stage of death, is the change in body temperature until the ambient temperature is matched. |
| What would slow Algor Mortis? (keep the body warm) | - Body in bed/wrapped in blankets - Thick clothing - Extra body fat - Body laying on carpet - Hot, humid enviornment |
| What would speed Algor Mortis? (cool down faster) | - Very cold enviornmet - Body laying on concrete - Victim is small (ex. child) |
| If there are undigested stomach contents, death occurred ... | 0-3 hours after last meal |
| If there are stomach is empty (with small intestine full), death occurred ... | 4-6 hours after last meal |
| To fully digest food through the stomach | 3 hours |
| 3-4 hours after a meal, the food has moved to.. | Small intestine |
| If there are small intestines are empty (with large intestines full), death occurred ... | 12 hours after last meal |
| If there are large intestines are empty, death occurred ... | 30 hours after last meal |
| 12 hours after a meal, the food has moved to | Larger intestine |
| The waste is eliminated from the body.. | 30 hours after a meal |
| This is the MOST inexact way to estimate time since death because there are so many variables | Stomach Contents |
| Digestion happens faster... | Liquid and Soft Foods, Some illnesses, Well-Chewed Food |
| Digestion happens slower... | Extreme Stress, Some Illnesses, Tough Foods (meat) |
| Putrefaction | The first part of decomposition, marked by breakdown of body tissues by bacteria from the inside out. |
| The first signs of putrefaction begins... | 24-72 hours after death |
| 1st step of putrefaction | Bacteria already living in the gut begin to digest tissues. The area around the abdomen takes on a greenish color. |
| 2nd step of putrefaction | Bacteria make gases as a byproduct of their digestion, which smell like ‘death’ and cause the abdomen to swell up. |
| 3rd step of putrefaction | Skin begins to separate from muscle tissue and may slough off, blood vessels break down, leaking blood makes skin become darker in color. |
| 4th step of putrefaction | Blisters with gas build up may appear on the skin. Excessive gas build up may cause the abdomen to burst. |
| The progression of Putrefaction can happen faster or slower, depending on | The enviornment |
| Putrefaction can happen faster | If in direct sunlight |
| Putrefaction can happen slower | If in the snow |
| One week of decomposition in the air is the same as.. | Two weeks in the water |
| One week of decomposition in the air is the same as.. | Eight weeks underground |
| Forensic Anthropology | The examination of humanskeletal remains frommedico-legal contextsusing principles of skeletalbiology |
Created by:
Samanthanicole474
Popular Science sets