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Algor mortis (
A measured rectal temperature can give some indication of the time of death. Although the heat conduction which leads to body cooling follows an exponential decay curve, it can be approximated as a linear process: 2 °C during the first hour and 1 °C per hour until the body nears ambient temperature.
The Glaister equation estimates the hours elapsed since death as a
Standards Employed to Determine Time of Death
Estimation of the time since death
(by rectal temperature, C. Henssge, 2004). {{DEFAULTSORT:Algor Mortis Signs of death Latin medical words and phrases Forensic pathology
Algor mortis (Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: ''algor''—coldness; ''mortis''—of death), the second stage of death, is the change in body temperature
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...
post mortem, until the ambient temperature is matched. This is generally a steady decline, although if the ambient temperature is above the body temperature (such as in a hot desert), the change in temperature will be positive, as the (relatively) cooler body acclimates to the warmer environment. External factors can have a significant influence.
The term was first used by Bennet Dowler Bennet Dowler (1797-1879) was a physician and physiologist of the United States.
Biography
He was born in Moundsville, Virginia, and received an M.D. from the medical school of the University of Maryland. He settled in Clarksburg, Virginia, where ...
in 1849. The first published measurements of the intervals of temperature after death were done by John Davy in 1839.
Applicability
A measured rectal temperature can give some indication of the time of death. Although the heat conduction which leads to body cooling follows an exponential decay curve, it can be approximated as a linear process: 2 °C during the first hour and 1 °C per hour until the body nears ambient temperature.
The Glaister equation estimates the hours elapsed since death as a linear function
In mathematics, the term linear function refers to two distinct but related notions:
* In calculus and related areas, a linear function is a function whose graph is a straight line, that is, a polynomial function of degree zero or one. For dist ...
of the rectal temperature
The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the sigmoid colon) at the le ...
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As decomposition
Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is e ...
occurs the internal body temperature tends to rise again.
Variability
Generally, temperature change is considered an inaccurate means of determining time of death, as the rate of change is affected by several key factors, including: * Stability or fluctuation of the ambient temperature. * The thickness (i.e. thermal insulation value) and body coverage of clothing or similar materials. * Thethermal conductivity
The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k, \lambda, or \kappa.
Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low thermal conductivity than in materials of high thermal ...
of the surface on which a body lies.
* Diseases or drugs which increase body temperature and thereby raise the starting temperature of the corpse at the time of death
* The existence of a "temperature plateau", a highly variable length of time in which the body does not cool.
References
Further reading
* * Karen T. Taylor, "Forensic art and illustration", CRC Press, 2000, , p. 308 * Robert G. Mayer, "Embalming: history, theory, and practice", McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005, , p. 106 * Calixto Machado, "Brain death: a reappraisal", Springer, 2007, , pp. 73–74External links
Standards Employed to Determine Time of Death
Estimation of the time since death
(by rectal temperature, C. Henssge, 2004). {{DEFAULTSORT:Algor Mortis Signs of death Latin medical words and phrases Forensic pathology