Page 5 - August 15th 2020 Issue Forensic

Crime Scene: A Forensic Market

after an hour of death and

persists till 6-12 hours of
death. This is also called

the most obvious phase of
death and plays a signifi-
cant role medicolegally,

as it helps in ascertaining
whether the body has been

moved from the position
in which it originally lay,
when the life is ceased,

degree of development of
livor mortis may help in

Figure 2 : A dead body lying as face facing towards the floor. Source: https://www.needpix.com/
photo/159467/crime-scene-crime-blood-capital-crimes-discovery-criminal-case-free-pictures-free- ascertaining the post-mor-
photos-free-images tem interval, characteristic
ally appears pale. The the body loses heat faster distribution may suggest

skin becomes lusterless, but in the tropical areas the manner of death as
pale and ashy-white in the post mortem fall in in poisoning by carbon

appearance and also loses the body may be minimal monoxide or hydrocyanic
its elasticity. There is a or even absent and while acid, a cherry-red color
loss of corneal reflex and in torrid conditions, the may appear, in cases of

cornea loses its glistening corpse may even warm up poisoning due to hydro-
appearance and becomes after the death. chloric acid, nitrobenzene,

dull and opaque. After algor mortis, livor aniline chocolate or coffee
The next stage observed mortis also called as post- brown hypostasis color
is the algor mortis, which mortem staining is usually may develop.

is also called as the cool- seen which is due to the After this stage, rigor mor-
ing of the body and this stoppage of circulation, tis/ cadaveric stiffening

occurs till the body tem- the blood due to gravity occurs due to the changes
perature and the surround- flows down in the capillar- in the muscles after the
ing temperature becomes ies and veins in the depen- molecular death of their

equal. It must be kept in dent parts of the body and cells and is proceeded by
mind that the cooling of imparts a reddish-purplish primary flaccidity of the

the body will be faster in coloration to these areas. muscles. It stays up to
the cold climates where This stage usually starts 12-24 hours and helps to

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