Page 92 - Veritas

Pallor Mortis - The first stage of death where the corpse becomes pale in
Pallor Mortis -
the face and other parts of the body. This is the first sign and occurs im-

mediately within 15- 30 minutes after death. This paleness occurs without
any gender difference.

Rigor Mortis -
Rigor Mortis - This occurs immediately after death, it is stiffening of mus-
cles caused by the depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is
necessary to break down the actin-myosin filaments in muscle fibers. The

cessation of oxygen supply causes the stoppage of aerobic respiration in
the cells and leads to a lack of production of ATP. Rigor mortis appears

approximately 2 hours after death in the muscles of the face, progresses
to the limbs over the next few hours, completing between 6 to 8 hours

after death. Rigor mortis then stays for another 12 hours. In the last phase
of Rigor Mortis, the actin-myosin complex that has formed starts disinte-

grating, resulting in the dissolution of the stiffness. Rigor mortis generally
disappears 36 hours after death, followed by a phase known as secondary

flaccidity. The different stages of rigor mortis are :

-
A) Autolysis
A) Autolysis - In this stage the blood circulation stops not long after death.
There won’t be any oxygen supply and it creates an acidic environment as
the cell starts to burst.

B) Bloat - The enzymes produce numerous gases. In this stage, putrefac-
B) Bloat -
tion occurs where the sulphur mixes up with microorganisms and produces

a foul smell.

C) Active decay - All the parts of the body become liquified and hair, bones
C) Active decay -
etc remains.

D) Skeletonisation -
D) Skeletonisation - There is a loss of organic and inorganic components
on the ground.

Algor mortis - Is the process where the body cools down as body heat is
Algor mortis -
lost to the environment. The temperature decreases due to fluid evapora-

tion until it reaches equilibrium with the environment. This happens only if
the ambient temperature is cooler than the body temperature at the time

VERITAS 77