Specialized Crime Investigation 1 With Legal Medicine: Bataan Heroes College

Bataan Heroes College
Bataan Heroes
College
Balanga City, Bataan
Specialized Crime Investigation

1 with Legal Medicine
KAMILLE S. BALUYOT
Criminology Department
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Visible Changes in the Body After Death
Kamille S. Baluyot
This module or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or distributed in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the College or the Author.
For Permission: Contact Bataan Heroes College, Roman Super Hi-way, Balanga City, Bataan, Philippines
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Kamille S. Baluyot
Module 6: Visible Changes in the Body After Death
Module Description
This module presents changes in the muscles as refer to the three stages of the muscles
after death which are the stage of primary flaccidity, stage of post-mortem rigidity and the stage
of secondary flaccidity. Further, this module comprehensively discusses the changes happened in
the blood of a person after death.
Objectives:
After studying this module, you should be able to:
1. Explain the different stages of muscles after death;

2. Identify the characteristics of each stages on the changes of the muscles; and
3. Discuss the changes happened on the blood of a person after death.
Subheadings
6.1 Changes in the Muscle
6.2 Stage of Primary Flaccidity or Period of Muscular Irritability
6.3 Stage of Post-mortem Rigidity
• Conditions Simulating Rigor Mortis:

• Distinction Between Rigor Mortis and Cadaveric Spasm:
6.4 Stage of Secondary Flaccidity or Secondary Relaxation
6.5 Changes in the Blood
• Coagulation of the Blood

• Post-mortem Lividity
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Kamille S. Baluyot
6.1 Changes in the Muscle

After death, there is complete relaxation of the whole muscular system. The entire
muscular system is contractile for three to six hours after death, and later rigidity sets in.
Secondary relaxation of the muscles will appear just when decomposition has set in.
The Entire Muscular Tissue Passes Three Stages After Death:
1. Stage of Primary Flaccidity (Post-mortem Muscular Irritability)

➢ The muscles are relaxed and capable of contracting when stimulated.
➢ The pupils are dilated, the sphincters are relaxed, and there is incontinence of
urination and defecation.
2. Stage of Post-mortem Rigidity (Cadaveric Rigidity or Death Struggle of Muscles or

RIGOR MORTIS)
➢ The whole body becomes rigid due to the contraction of the muscles.
➢ This develops three to six hours after death and may last from twenty-four hour to
thirty-six hours.
3. Stage of Secondary Flaccidity or Commencement of Putrefaction (Decay of the

Muscles)
➢ The muscles become flaccid, no longer capable of responding to mechanical or
electrical stimulus and the reaction becomes alkaline.
6.2 Stage of Primary Flaccidity or Period of Muscular Irritability

▪ Immediately after death, there is complete relaxation and softening of all muscles of the
body.
▪ The extremities may be flexed, the lower jaw falls, the eyeball loses its tension, and there
may be incontinence of urination and defecation.
▪ This stage usually lasts about 3 to 6 hours after death. In warm places, the average duration
is only 1 hour 51 minutes.
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Kamille S. Baluyot
6.3 Stage of Post-mortem Rigidity

▪ Also known as Cadaveric Rigidity, Death Stiffening, Death of Struggle Muscles or
RIGOR MORTIS.
▪ 3 to 6 hours after death the muscles gradually stiffen.
▪ It usually starts at the muscles of the neck and the lower jaw and spreads downward to
the chest, arms and lower limbs.
▪ Usually the whole body becomes stiff after 12 hours. All the muscles are involved –
both voluntary and involuntary.
Conditions Simulating Rigor Mortis:
1. Heat Stiffening
➢ If the dead body is exposed to temperatures above 75 degrees Celsius it will
coagulate the muscle proteins and cause the muscles to be rigid.
➢ The body assumes the “pugilistic attitude” with the lower and upper extremities
flexed and the hands clenched because the flexor muscles are stronger than the
extensors.
➢ Commonly observed when body of a person is placed in boiling fluid or when the
body is burned to death.
2. Cold Stiffening
➢ The stiffening of the body may be manifested when the body is frozen, but
exposure to warm condition will make such stiffening disappear.
➢ The cold stiffening is due to the solidification of fat hen the body is exposed to
freezing temperature.
➢ Forcible stretching of the flexed extremities will produce a sound due to the frozen
synovial fluid.
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Kamille S. Baluyot
3. Cadaveric Spasm or Instantaneous Rigor

➢ This is the instantaneous rigidity of the muscles which occurs at the moment of
death due to nervous tension, exhaustion and injury to the nervous system or
injury to the chest.
➢ In cadaveric spasm, only group of muscles are involved and they are usually not
symmetrical.
Distinction Between Rigor Mortis and Cadaveric Spasm:
a. Time of Appearance
o Rigor Mortis appears three to six hours after death, while Cadaveric Spasm appears
immediately after death.
b. Muscles Involved
o Rigor Mortis involves all the muscles of the body whether voluntary or involuntary, while
Cadaveric Spasm involves only a certain muscle or group of muscles and are
asymmetrical.
c. Occurrence
o Rigor Mortis is a natural phenomena which occurs after death, while Cadaveric Spasm
may or may not appear on a person at the time of death.
d. Medico-Legal Significance
o Rigor Mortis may be utilized by a medical jurist to approximate the time of death, while
Cadaveric Spasm may be useful to determine the nature of the crime.
6.4 Stage of Secondary Flaccidity or Secondary Relaxation

▪ After death disappearance of rigor mortis, the muscle becomes soft and flaccid. ▪ It does not
respond to mechanical or electrical stimulus. This due to the dissolution of the muscles
proteins which have previously been coagulate during the period of rigor mortis.
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Kamille S. Baluyot
6.5 Changes in the Blood

1. Coagulation of the Blood
▪ The stasis of the blood due to the cessation of circulation enhances the coagulation of blood
inside the blood vessels.
▪ Blood clothing is accelerated in cases of death by infectious fevers and delayed in cases of
asphyxia, poisoning by opium, hydrocyanic acid or carbon monoxide poisoning.
▪ The clotting of the blood is very slow process that there is a tendency for the blood to
separate forming a red clot at the lower level and above it is white clot known as “chicken
fat clot”.
▪ Blood may remain fluid inside the blood vessel after death for 6 to 8 hours.
Distinctions Between Ante-Mortem from Post-mortem Clot:

Ante-Mortem Clot (BEFORE) Post-mortem Clot (AFTER)
Firm in consistency Soft in consistency.
Surface of the blood vessel raw after the clots are Surface of the blood vessels smooth and healthy
removed. after the clots are removed.
Clots homogenous in construction so it cannot be Clots can be stripped off in layers.

stripped into layers.
Clot with uniform color. Clot with distinct layer.
2. Post-mortem Lividity
▪ Also known as, Cadaveric Lividity, Post-mortem Suggillation, Post-mortem Hypostasis or

LIVOR MORTIS.
▪ The stoppage of the heart action and the loss of tone of the blood vessels cause the blood to
be under the influence of gravity.
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Kamille S. Baluyot
▪ It is the discoloration of the body after death when the blood tens to pool in the blood
vessels for the most dependent portion to the pool in the blood vessels for the most
dependent portion of the body.
▪ The blood remains fluid in the body after for 6-8 hours and gradually clot until it is fully
developed at about 12 hrs,
▪ The appearance of Post Mortem lividity usually stars about 20-30 minutes after death, thus,
it can also be a means in approximating the time of death of the person. But is more useful
in determining the position of the body after death.
▪ The discoloration of the bloody may varies in color.
a. Usually it is dull-red or Reddish-purple with some bluish-black petichiae due to rupture
of small engored capillaries.
b. In carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning as well as exposure to cold temperature,
the color is pink while lead color asphyxia. Although the color will become darker and
permanent as it completes.
Kinds of Post-mortem Lividity:
a. Hypostatic Lividity
➢ It is the lividity when the discoloration is due to the blood pooled in the most
dependent areas of the body.
b. Diffusion Lividity
➢ It is a fixed or permanent discoloration when the blood clotted, inside the blood
vessels or has diffused to different parts of the body.
Importance of Cadaveric Lividity:

o It is one of the signs of death
o It may determine the position of the body after death or whether it was changes after its
appearance in the body.
o The color of the lividity may indicate the cause of death
o e.g. Asphyxia – dark ; CO poisoning – bright pink
o It gives us an idea as to the time of death.
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Kamille S. Baluyot
Points to be considered which may infer the position of the body at the time of death:
1. Posture of the body when found

▪ The body may become rigid in the position in which he died. Post-mortem lividity
may develop in the assumed position.
2. Post-mortem hypostasis
▪ Hypostatic lividity will be found in areas of the body in contact with the surface
where the body lies.
3. Cadaveric Spasm
▪ In violent death, the attitude of the body may infer position on account of the spasm
of the muscles. e.g. In drowning the victim may be holding the seaweeds.
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Kamille S. Baluyot
References
Legal Medicine, Bataan Heroes College, 2010
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Bataan Heroes College

Specialized Crime Investigation

Module 6: Visible Changes in the Body After Death

1. Explain the different stages of muscles after death;

6.1 Changes in the Muscle

6.2 Stage of Primary Flaccidity or Period of Muscular Irritability

6.3 Stage of Post-mortem Rigidity

• Conditions Simulating Rigor Mortis:

6.4 Stage of Secondary Flaccidity or Secondary Relaxation

6.5 Changes in the Blood

• Coagulation of the Blood

6.1 Changes in the Muscle

The Entire Muscular Tissue Passes Three Stages After Death:

1. Stage of Primary Flaccidity (Post-mortem Muscular Irritability)

2. Stage of Post-mortem Rigidity (Cadaveric Rigidity or Death Struggle of Muscles or

3. Stage of Secondary Flaccidity or Commencement of Putrefaction (Decay of the

6.2 Stage of Primary Flaccidity or Period of Muscular Irritability

6.3 Stage of Post-mortem Rigidity

Conditions Simulating Rigor Mortis:

3. Cadaveric Spasm or Instantaneous Rigor

Distinction Between Rigor Mortis and Cadaveric Spasm:

6.4 Stage of Secondary Flaccidity or Secondary Relaxation

6.5 Changes in the Blood

Distinctions Between Ante-Mortem from Post-mortem Clot:

Firm in consistency Soft in consistency.

Clots homogenous in construction so it cannot be Clots can be stripped off in layers.

Clot with uniform color. Clot with distinct layer.

▪ Also known as, Cadaveric Lividity, Post-mortem Suggillation, Post-mortem Hypostasis or

Kinds of Post-mortem Lividity:

Importance of Cadaveric Lividity:

1. Posture of the body when found

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