Fall 21 Post 2

 

To many people, the concept of dying is a phobia. The thought of having an actual expiration date is even more bizarre. So, how does one determine the death date? There are several ways that D.O.D (Date of Death) can be determined. The thanatology concept in forensic science is an estrange question that is often speculated about. I have listed one common way below: 

Temperature

The temperature of a body can be used to estimate the time of death during the first 24 hours. Core temperature falls gradually with time since death and depends on body mass, fat distribution, and ambient temperature. If the body is discovered before the body temperature has come into equilibrium with the ambient temperature, forensic scientists can estimate the time of death by measuring the core temperature of the body. A simply mathematical equation can be followed in this circumstance. 

Tune in next time to see what the thanatologist does for bodies that are expired more than 24 hours.

Reference:

https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/death-the-last-taboo/decomposition-forensic-evidence/

https://slideplayer.com/slide/4623015/

https://www.zib.de/projects/temperature-based-estimation-time-death-forensic-medicine