Mummification Mummification and Adipocereand Adipocere

The Optimum Conditions for Mummification dry &

warm climate.

Once the changes are complete, the body will remain in that condition

indefinitely.

No growth of microorganisms.

How does mummification occur?

The natural mummification process usually happens in extremely dry environments that allow the fast dehydration of tissues, simultaneously slowing down or inhibiting the decomposition by bacteria and other microorganisms.

Mummification

Results from drying of tissues under conditions of:

high environmental temperaturelow humidity and good ventilation

Mummified skin displays brownish discoloration and parchment-like appearance

The time required for complete mummification can’t be precisely stated

but it takes several weeks to months, depending on the size of the body and

atmospheric conditions.

Medico-legal Importance of Mummification

• Identification• Time estimation• Cause of Death• Can detect abnormal pathology

inside deep organs

Mummification may occur naturally or may be achieved through artificial

methods

Mummification

Other Factors

Age (it is more common in newborns) Gender (occurs more often in female) Cause of death (large hemorrhages, ante-

mortem prolonged administration of antibiotics

Poisoning by arsenic and potassium cyanide

Adipocere

What is adipocere?

Also known as "grave wax," adipocere (from the Latin, adipo for fat and cera for wax)

• is a grayish-white postmortem matter caused

by fat decomposition, which results from hydrolysis and hydrogenation of the lipids (fatty cells) that compose subcutaneous fat tissues.

It occurs in :• Subcutaneous fat of the cheeks ,breast, buttocks• May occur in internal organs such as liver , kidney & heart

Although decomposition of fatty tissues starts almost immediately after death,

Adipocere formation time may vary from two weeks to one or two months, on average, due to several factors, such as temperaturetemperature, , embalming embalming and and burial conditionsburial conditions, and , and materials surrounding materials surrounding the corpsethe corpse

Develops in high humidity and high environmental temperature

The bacteria Clostridia is a thought to be responsible for adipocere formation

Converts unsaturated liquid fats to saturated solid fats

Adipocere Formation

Adipocere

The subcutaneous adipose tissue of corpses immersed immersed in cold water in cold water or kept in plastic bags plastic bags may undergo a uniformuniform adipocere formation with the superficial layers of skin slipping off.

Adipocere may be dry, brittle, & has an odor mostly smells like ammonia.

Adipocere

Medicolegal Importance of Adipocrere

• Preserves the body, which can permit identification after death.

• It may give conclusions about the cause of death.

• It indicates that the time interval since death was at least weeks to several months.

Estimating the Time of Death

1. Core body temperature :– The best and the most commonly used– Mainly per rectum & by intra/sub-hepatic via an

abdominal stab.2. Rigor mortis3. Hypostasis/Livor Mortis :

– Complete after 6 hrs.4. Biochemical investigation of the CSF :

– Requires the determination of the amino acid content & lactic acid & non-protein nitrogen content of the CSF.

4. Eye pressure: Eye balls become softer, and less fluid pressure in the

first 3 hrs5. Gastric emptying:

Depend on type of meal and emotional status.

6. The entomology of dead:– Studying insects & their maggots which infest the

dead body for estimating the probable time of death.– Different types of insects infest the dead body at

different stages after death occurs.

Gastric Emptying

• A light meal takes about 2 hours to pass through the stomach

• A heavy meal takes about 6 hours to pass through the stomach– Carbohydrate rich meals empty in 2 to 4 hours– Protein rich meals empty in 4 to 6 hours– High Fat content meals empty in 6 to 8 hours

Gastric Contents

• Emptying rate changes due to– Type of food– Drug or medication intake– Prior medical and emotional conditions

7. K+ levels : – All electrolytes in the body change after death except K. – Na+/K+ pump stops working. – There is a linear relationship b/w K levels and time passed after death up to

120 hrs. – Measured from vitreous humor– When there is high urea concentration, there is an electrolyte imbalance and

K can no longer be used as an indicator– This is the most infrequently used method to determine post mortem

interval.• Many different opinions exist about its accuracy and ability to predict post mortem interval.• Measurement of potassium levels in the eyes can vary greatly from left to right eyes in the

same corpse in ideal conditions.• From a medico-legal standpoint, this technique is frowned upon.• This is typically thought of as a “last ditch effort”