The changes in the temperature of a corpse in the course of its decomposition (an experimental study)

Lavrukova O.S.

Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 185910

Popov V.L.

Kafedra sudebnoĭ meditsiny i pravovedeniia Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo meditsinskogo universiteta im. akad. I.P. Pavlova

Lyabzina S.N.

Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 185910

Sidorova N.A.

Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Russia, 185910

Prikhod’ko A.N.

Karelian Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 185003

The changes in the temperature of a corpse in the course of its decomposition (an experimental study)

Authors:

Lavrukova O.S., Popov V.L., Lyabzina S.N., Sidorova N.A., Prikhod’ko A.N.

More about the authors

Journal: Forensic Medical Expertise. 2017;60(3): 19‑22

DOI: 10.17116/sudmed201760319-22

Downloaded: 84

Download PDF (RU)

Contact the author

Table of contents

To cite this article:

Lavrukova OS, Popov VL, Lyabzina SN, Sidorova NA, Prikhod’ko AN. The changes in the temperature of a corpse in the course of its decomposition (an experimental study). Forensic Medical Expertise. 2017;60(3):19‑22. (In Russ.)
https://doi.org/10.17116/sudmed201760319-22

Подписка 2025-2 (Forensic Medical Expertise)

Close metadata

Recommended articles:

Characteristics of postmortem changes in the brain. Forensic Medical Expertise. 2024;(6):56-61

Towards understanding the fauna of buried corpses. Forensic Medical Expertise. 2025;(1):30-33

The objective of the present work was to study dynamics of the temperature of a corpse of an experimental animal (a pig) between the moment of death till complete skeletization, The porcine corpse weighing approximately 100 kg was placed in the bilberry spruce forest in the southern part of the Karelian Republic. Variations in the temperature of the corpse were measured with the use of the EClrerk-USB-2Pt logger (an autonomous register of temperature) along with those of the environmental (the air and the soil) temperature during 86 days in the period from June till September. It was shown that the temperature of the corpse first decreased but began to increase thereafter due to the enhancement of the biological activity of microorganisms. It is concluded that putrefactive decomposition of the corpse does not always suggest the necessity to discontinue the measurement of its temperature. The forensic medical examination of a corrupted corpse should take into consideration the possibility of an increase of its temperature in the course of time because it may be a source of a mistake when estimating prescription of death coming. The problem of postmortem rise in the temperature of a corpse undergoing putrefactive decomposition needs a thorough theoretical interpretation with a view to promoting the practical application of the proposed method with due regard for the difference in the environmental conditions in various climatographical regions of the Russian Federation.

Keywords:

postmortem temperature of a corpse

insect larvae

microorganisms

corpse decomposition forensic entomology

prescription of death coming

Authors:

Lavrukova O.S.

Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 185910

Popov V.L.

Kafedra sudebnoĭ meditsiny i pravovedeniia Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo meditsinskogo universiteta im. akad. I.P. Pavlova

Lyabzina S.N.

Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 185910

Sidorova N.A.

Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Russia, 185910

Prikhod’ko A.N.

Karelian Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 185003

List of references:

Romodanovskij PO, Barinov EKh, Malyshev AP. Time of Death software product as a readily available tool for the work of a forensic medical expert at the place of occurrence. Sudebno-medicinskaja jekspertiza. 2013;56(2):38-39. (In Russ.).
Novoselov VP, Savchenko SV, Sakovchuk OA. The expert assessment of kidney damage morphology for the elucidation of the mechanism, intravitality, and duration of the injury. Sudebno-medicinskaja jekspertiza. 2016;59(5):10-13. (In Russ.). doi:10.17116/sudmed201659510-13
Vavilov AYu. Teplofizicheskie parametry tkanei vnutrennikh organov cheloveka v rannem posmortal'nom periode dlya tselei opredeleniya davnosti nastupleniya smerti termometricheskim sposobom: Dis. … kand. med. nauk. M. 2000. (In Russ.).
Tumanov EV, Kil'dyushov EM, Sokolova ZYu. Sudebno-meditsinskaya tanatologiya. M.: NP ITs YurInfoZdrav. 2012. (In Russ.).
Solokhin AA, Solokhin YuA. Rukovodstvo po sudebno-meditsinskoi ekspertize trupa. M.: RMAPO. 1997. (In Russ.).
Evgen'ev-Tish EM. Ustanovlenie davnosti smerti v sudebno-meditsinskoi praktike. Kazan': KGMI. 1963. (In Russ.).
Mel'nikov YuL, Zharov VV. Sudebno-meditsinskoe opredelenie vremeni nastupleniya smerti. M.: Meditsina. 1978. (In Russ.).
Botezatu GA. Sudebno-meditsinskaya diagnostika davnosti nastupleniya smerti. Kishinev: Shtiintsa. 1975. (In Russ.).
Henssge C. Die Prezission von Todeszeitschatzungen durch die mathematische Beschraibung der rektalen Leichenabkiihlung. Z Rechtsmed. 1979;83(1):49-67.
Novikov PI, Popov VG. The Adaptive Systems in Estimation of Time of Death. Sudebno-medicinskaja jekspertiza. 1983;26(3):6-9. (In Russ.).
Shved EF, Novikov PI, Vlasov AYu. Micro-Computer Realization of Adaptive Technique of Modeling the Process of Death Body Temperature Variability. Sudebno-medicinskaja jekspertiza. 1989;32(2):4-6. (In Russ.).
Bogomolov DV, Targashin AV, Denisova OP. Opportunity of mycologic and entomologic investigations for the perpose of time of death determination. Meditsinskaya ekspertiza i pravo. 2014;3:35-37. (In Russ.).
Lyabzina SN, Prihod’ko AN. The ability to use entomological methods in forensic medicine. Meditsinskaya ekspertiza i pravo. 2016;4:38-40. (In Russ.).
Prikhod'ko AN, Lavrukova OS, Lyabzina SN, Gorbach VV. The forensic medical implications of the determination of the species composition of necrophilic dipterans. Sudebno-medicinskaja jekspertiza. 2016;59(5):53-55. (In Russ.). doi:10.17116/sudmed201659553-55
Popov VL, Lavrukova OS, Prikhodko AN, Lyabzina SN. The timing of the settlement of a corpse necrophilic fly Protophormia terraenovae (Diptera, Calliphoridae) to determine the duration of postmortem interval. Bulletin of forensic medicine. 2016;3:4-8. (In Russ.).
Korshunov NV. Diagnostika davnosti smerti pri issledovanii trupov v stadii gnilostnoi trasformatsii: Dis. … kand. med. nauk. M. 2007. (In Russ.).
Sovremennaya mikrobiologiya: prokarioty. Pod red. Lengelera I, Drevsa G, Shlegelya G. T. 2. M.: Mir. 2005. (In Russ.).
Marchenko MI. Effect of Climatic Factors on Duration of the Biological Decomposition of Cadaver by Necrobiont Insect in Northwestern European Part of Russia. Jentomologicheskoe obozrenie. 1992;71(3):557-568. (In Russ.).
Payne JA. A Summer Carrion Study of the Baby Pig Sus Scrofa Linnaeus. Ecology. 1965;46(5):592-602. doi:10.2307/1934999
Anderson GS, VanLaerhoven SL. Initial Studies on Insect Succession on Carrion in Southwestern British Columbia. Journal of Forensic Sciences (JFSCA). 1996;41(4):617-625. doi:10.1520/jfs13964j
Early M, Goff ML. Arthropod Succession Patterns in Exposed Carrion on the Island of O'ahu, Hawaiian Islands, USA. J Med Entomol. 1986;23(5):520-531. doi:10.1093/jmedent/23.5.520
Ten'kov AA, Plaksin VO. Sudebno-meditsinskaya ekspertiza trupa v pozdnie sroki postmortal'nogo perioda (gnienie, zhirovosk, mumifikatsiya, otsenka povrezhdenii): monografiya. Kursk: KGMU. 2005. (In Russ.).

Close metadata