Well, there are plenty of forensic (specifically autopsy) discussions all over the TV now because Terri Schiavo died and is being autopsied. Do any of you guys have any specific questions about what will be done in her case or in autopsies in general?
You can bet that they will request antemortem x-rays and other films, plus they will take postmortem xrays and do a gross examination of the inside (including dura mater, aka covering of the brain) and outside of the skull cap.
So will they be able to tell for certain if she was hit in the head or if maybe she fell and banged it? Is there that much of a difference to tell? If she was hit with maybe a pipe that would be able to be detected.
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So will they be able to tell for certain if she was hit in the head or if maybe she fell and banged it? Is there that much of a difference to tell? If she was hit with maybe a pipe that would be able to be detected.
I'd say that it is very unlikely. They wouldn't be able to attribute any brain trauma to an old injury because of the amount of time that has passed since the 'incident'. Even if they found some healed skull fractures, it isn't possible to determine the time at which the injury occurred unless they are able to see before and after x-rays.
So if they can't really determine anything from old injuries, what is the point of even doing an autopsy?
Typically someone dies pretty damn soon after they sustain an injury or a specific event happens. If someone in apparent good health dies, and an autopsy is performed, which locates a small needle-like puncture would, and they show elevated levels of a curious substance in the blood, this would help. It's very uncommon for someone to die YEARS after something traumatic happens, which is suspected to play into the death.
Have you ever heard a body make noises? That would freak me out.
How rigid is rigor mortis? How long does it last?
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So if they can't really determine anything from old injuries, what is the point of even doing an autopsy?
This is an odd case. If nobody ever heard of Terry, her death would have been reported to the Medical Examiner's office because there is a request to cremate the body, which means that the attending physician or funeral home would send a signed death certificate with the cause and manner of death (For Terri, I would expect the Manner to be Natural) to the Medical Examiner's Office. The Medical Examiner would review the death certificate to ensure that no suspicious circumstances contributed to the death and they would approve the cremation request without bringing the body into the MEs office. Terri's case is much more complicated because of the publicity, the question as to the extent of her brain function, and the possibility of old injuries (which would likely not have lead to her condition and subsequent death). The autopsy will be able to determine the amount of functioning nerve cells (neurons) in the various parts of the brain and enable a forensic pathologist and a neuropathologist to provide an opinion on the likely amount of cognition that she had.
While I am no M.D., I did a stint in an ER for over a year - I saw so many things firsthand and learned so damn much I never even thought existed, plus have an insane amount of sick/funny as hell stories, you'd never hear them all
Yes the bodies can make noises, upon death the bacteria in the body are actually starting to begin the process of breaking things down. This causes gasses to form, or gasses that where in the the body already to move around, since there is no more muscle control to keep them in place, or move them where they normally would move (this is why bladder and sphincter control are lost, hence Iron's question and the answer).
Rigor mortis starts a few hours after death and dissipates after a few days. Yes, it really does make the body stiff, the muscles basically lock and you cannot move them very easily till it goes away.
So if they can't really determine anything from old injuries, what is the point of even doing an autopsy?
Typically someone dies pretty damn soon after they sustain an injury or a specific event happens. If someone in apparent good health dies, and an autopsy is performed, which locates a small needle-like puncture would, and they show elevated levels of a curious substance in the blood, this would help. It's very uncommon for someone to die YEARS after something traumatic happens, which is suspected to play into the death.
That is often accurate, but not always the case. for example, if somebody lost a leg during WWII and they have been bed-ridden for years, they may develop a decubitus ulcer (bed sore). This ulcer can get infected and the infection can get into the blood and spread to other parts of the body. Now the person may become immune compromised and may develop pneumonia and die. The manner of death can be ruled as homicide because this person would not have been bed-ridden for years if he had not been injured by another person, and they would not have developed a decubitus ulcer and subsequent infection and pneumonia. This is an extreme case, but could and likely did happen.
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Anybody have autopsy or forensic questions?
