Ascertainment of the cause and tempo of death in forensic medical practice
Iskhizova, L.N.; Bogomolov, D.V.; Bogomolova, I.N.; Dolzhanskiĭ, O.V.
Sudebno-Meditsinskaia Ekspertiza 48(2): 8-12
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-4521 PMID: 15881134 Document Number: 586683
In order to develop a method of ascertaining a cause of death and of evaluating its tempo the authors undertook a histological study and a study of a dehydration degree in 76 cases of death due to the below reasons: mechanical trauma, mechanical asphyxia, burn shock, and carbon monoxide intoxication. Acute emphysema of lungs, lack of edemas in lungs and brain, desquamation of pulmonary macrophages, hyperemia of renal capillaries, primary urine in some glomerules, prevalence of ischemic changes with karyopyknosis in medulla and hypohydration of brain were typical of fast death. Prevalence of dystelectasis in lungs, emptying of pulmonary capillaries, evident edema of lungs and brain, desquamation of pulmonary macrophages, lack of primary urine in glomerular capsules, acute circulatory disorders of renal hemodynamics with sweating of fibrin and erythrocyte glomerules into cavities, necrotic nephrosis, pigment cylinders in renal tubules, thrombi in vessels, prevalence of chromatolysis, karyolysis and cytolysis in medulla, pronounced glial reaction as well as pronounced edema of brain and its hyperhydration were typical of slow death.