Medical Examiner

Medical Examiner’s Responsibilities

1. Identify the deceased2. Establish the time and date of death3. Determine a medical cause of death (the injury or disease

that resulted in the person dying)4. Determine the mechanism of death (the physiological

reason that the person died)5. Classify the manner of death

Natural – cancer, old age, heart attach Accidental – car accident, trip down the stairs and hit headSuicideHomicide – a person taking the life of another Undetermined

6. Notify the next of kin

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The Medical Examiner and the Coroner

A medical examiner is a medical doctor, usually a pathologist, and is appointed by the governing body of the area. There are 400 forensic pathologists throughout the U.S.

A coroner is an elected official who usually has no special medical training. In four states, the coroner is a medical doctor.

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2 general types of autopsies

O Hospital (clinical) autopsy – performed to satisfy educational interests. Helps to determine the mechanism of death. Information obtained through the autopsy is only available to the next of kin

O Forensic autopsy – is performed in the public interest and benefits those outside the medical circle. Provides answers posed by family, friends, lawyers, insurance agent, courts & physicians

Rigor Mortis – the stiffness

• Skeletal muscles contract – they become tighter…think about sore muscles after a hard workout

• Joints stiffen & lock in place• Can occurring within 10 minute of

death or take several hours…deals with personal body chemistry

• The body will stay very stiff for up to 72 hours (3 days)

Chemistry of Rigor Mortis• Our cells use oxygen we breath in to burn

glycogen as energy for our bodies • After Death = No Oxygen

• anaerobic glycolysis makes lactic and pyruvic acids• Lactic & pyruvic acid is what gives you sore muscles after a hard

workout

• pH in you body decreases from a normal healthy 7.4 to acidic levels (below 7) due to lactic & pyruvic acid production

• Acid promotes a reaction between actin and myosin which work together to contract the muscle

• Muscle shortens until all ATP is used up! This can take up to 72 hours

Muscle Contraction

Livor Mortis• When your HEART is beating the blood is

mixing!• Therefore, when the HEART stops beating the

blood stops mixing…. • Red blood cells are heavy & dense so they

sink• Maroon to blue color develops at lowest

points (cover your eyes for the next slide if you are squimish)

• Visible 30 minutes-2 hours after death• Tells you if the body was moved.

Livor Mortis

Algor Mortis• Body cools by

• Radiation • the higher the body temperature the more heat

lost• Conduction depends on surface contact

• faster if in water because enhanced surface contact

• Convection• Wind cools faster

• Rate of cooling of body after death• 1.5 °F per hour under “normal conditions”

• No real conditions are “normal”

Algor Mortis

70

80

90

100

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Time Since Death (hrs)

Bo

dy

Tem

per

atu

re (

F)

Ambient T

Body T

98.6 F = 1.5x + b Fx = 6 hoursSolve for b and figure out the persons body temp after 6 hours. Check the graph.