6.7.16

26 stages of death


    Moment of death:
    1) The heart stops
    2) The skin gets tight and grey in colour
    3) All the muscles relax
    4) The bladder and bowels empty
    5) The body’s temperature will typically drop 1.5 degrees F. per hour unless outside
       environment is a factor. The liver is the organ that stays warmest the longest, 
       and this temperature is used to establish time of death if the body is found within
       that time frame.
    After 30 minutes:
    6) The skin gets purple and waxy
    7) The lips, finger- and toe nails fade to a pale color or turn white as the blood leaves
    8) Blood pools at the lowest parts of the body leaving a dark purple-black stain
       called lividity
    9) The hands and feet turn blue
    10) The eyes start to sink into the skull
    After 4 hours:
    11) Rigor mortis starts to set in
    12) The purpling of the skin and pooling of blood continue
    13) Rigor Mortis begins to tighten the muscles for about another 24 hours, then will
        reverse and the body will return to a limp state.
    After 12 hours:
    14) The body is in full rigor mortis.
    After 24 hours:
    15) The body is now the temperature of the surrounding environment
    16) In males, the semen dies
    17) The head and neck are now a greenish-blue color
    18) The greenish-blue color continues to spread to the rest of the body
    19) There is the strong smell of rotting meat
    20) The face of the person is essentially no longer recognizable
    After 3 days:
    21) The gases in the body tissues form large blisters on the skin
    22) The whole body begins to bloat and swell grotesquely. This process is speeded
        up if victim is in a hot environment, or in water
    23) Fluids leak from the mouth, nose, eyes, ears, rectum and urinary opening
    After 3 weeks:
    24) The skin, hair, and nails are so loose they can be easily pulled off the corpse
    25) The skin cracks and bursts open in many places because of the pressure of Internal
        gases and the breakdown of the skin itself
    26) Decomposition will continue until body is nothing but skeletal remains, which can
        take as little as a month in hot climates and two months in cold climates. The teeth
        are often the only thing left, years and centuries later, because tooth enamel is the
        strongest substance in the body. The jawbone is the densest, so that usually will also
        remain


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