Decay, Organic

Preliminary Remarks on Time

How long a body takes to decompose and what accelerates or decelerates this process depends on the nature and condition of the remains. At the death of a mammal, numerous circumstances have an impact upon the process of decomposition. Important factors can be whether the animal was [Page 277]slim or fat before death and also if it had a fever or any open wounds. In case of infection (sepsis), germs may have entered the body, thus accelerating the process of decomposition. Antibiotics in the body might have delayed the growth of bacteria and therefore may have slowed down the post-mortal microbiotic decomposition. The time needed for the decomposition also depends on the ecological circumstances. It is therefore of utmost importance to factor in what animals, fungi, and bacteria had access to the cadaver as well as to consider the weather and soil conditions (moist/ dry, warm/cold, acidic/basic). Another issue to be taken into account is whether the cadaver lay close to the surface of the earth, deep within the ground, or in water. Acidic, warm, and humid milieus (with a permeable soil) accelerate decomposition, whereas basic, dry, and cold milieus are usually more preservative. Due to the wide variety of these factors, the time given as an estimate of the relationship between time and the degree of decomposition in Casper's rule can therefore be used only as an approximation in a multifactorial process. Casper's rule provides an estimation as follows: The degree of degradation of a corpse that has been lying on the soil surface for 1 week corresponds to that of a corpse that has been lying in water for 2 weeks or buried in soil for 8 weeks.

Death and Dying

The death of multicellular organisms is a gradual process. For example, if the cardiovascular system of a human being collapses, the individual organs, tissues, and cells can still be vital for several hours or days. The proliferation activity of the epidermis is an example of such “intermediate life,” which finishes at 20°C ambient temperature after 35 to 40 hours. It is possible that some cells and tissues are still viable, while other parts of the body have already started to display evidence of decomposition. Not until life on the cellular level has also been completely stopped can one speak of absolute death.

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