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Legal Medicine
Pallor mortis (“stiffness of death”) causes muscle stiffening 3-6 hours after
death, reaching its peak in around 12 hours. Small blisters filled with
nutrient-rich fluid begin appearing on internal organs and the skin’s surface.
The body will appear to have a sheen due to ruptured blisters, and the skin’s
top layer will begin to loosen. After 3 days, the body begins to loosen back
up as bloat and decay begin.
Leaked enzymes from the first stages of autolysis begin producing many
gases. The sulfur within the compounds that the bacteria release also
causes skin discoloration. Due to the gases, the human body can
actually double in size. In addition, insect activity will likely be present.
The microorganisms and bacteria produce extremely unpleasant odors
called putrefaction. These odors often alert others that a person has died,
and can linger long after a body has been removed.
Active decay is the stage after death in which a cadaver loses the majority
of its body mass. Fluids released through orifices indicate that it has started.
Organs, muscles, and skin become liquefied. When all of the body’s soft
tissue decomposes, hair, bones, cartilage, and other byproducts of decay
remain. On top of this, Active Decay is also the stage of death that a body is
consumed by maggots.
Advanced Decay – During advanced decay, the rate of decay decreases
due to lack of left-over cadaveric materials & fluids. Because of this, maggot
and insect activity greatly reduces.
Stage Four: Skeletonization & Decomposition
Finally, during skeletonization, all the tissues and muscles in the cadaver
have decayed, leaving behind only a dry skeleton. Because the skeleton has
a decomposition rate based on the loss of organic (collagen) and inorganic
components, there is no set time frame when skeletonization occurs. This
also is heavily dependent on the environment in which the skeleton remains.
Air, water, and multiple other conditions all play a role in how long the
skeletonization and decomposition stage last.
Types of Asphyxia
Smothering
In homicidal cases, the term burking is often ascribed to a killing method that
involves simultaneous smothering and compression of the torso. The term
"burking" comes from the method William Burke and William Hare used to
kill their victims during the West Port murders. They killed the usually
intoxicated victims by sitting on their chests and suffocating them by putting
a hand over their nose and mouth, while using the other hand to push the
victim's jaw up. The corpses had no visible injuries, and were supplied to
medical schools for money.
Compressive asphyxia
Perinatal asphyxia
4. Medical Negligence
An act or omission (failure to act) by a medical professional that deviates from the
accepted medical standard of care.
While medical negligence is usually the legal concept upon which theses kinds of
medical malpractice cases hinge (at least from a "legal fault" perspective),
negligence on its own isn't enough to form a valid claim. But when the negligence
is the cause of harm to a patient, there may be a good case.
In the given example, the 1st surgeon is NOT guilty of medical negligence as
he was only the one who made the diagnosis. The cause of the pain,
discomfort and jaundice on the patient is not his diagnosis but the negligent
cutting of the bile duct of the patient by the second surgeon. Therefore, the
second surgeon is the one who is guilty of medical negligence.
According to Article 266-A of the Revised Penal Code, Rape is Committed When
1) By a man who shall have carnal knowledge of a woman under any of the
following circumstances:
d) When the offended party is under twelve (12) years of age or is demented, even
though none of the circumstances mentioned above be present; and
2) By any person who, under any of the circumstances mentioned in paragraph 1
hereof, shall commit an act of sexual assault by inserting his penis into another
person's mouth or anal orifice, or any instrument or object, into the genital or anal
orifice of another person.