Death Manner Cause and Mechanism Notes on page

Death: Manner, Cause and Mechanism Notes on page 69

What is death? � Simply put, the end of life ◦ The irreversible cessation of circulation of blood � Heart � When stops beating and cannot be restarted the heart stops beating, the body cannot transport oxygen to all its cells and the cells start to die

Stages of death � Stoppage ◦ Nerves, muscles, organs and the brain stop working because of the lack of oxygen � Autolysis ◦ Breakdown of cells (cannot be restarted) ◦ Cell membrane dissolves, enzymes and cell contents spill out and digest surrounding tissues

After death – the autopsy � Who performs the autopsy? ◦ The pathologist (medical examiner, coroner) � Conducted to determine manner, cause and mechanism of death � Careful and detailed medical examination of a person’s body and organs � Each organ is removed and examined � Tissue samples are taken

Manner of death � The general ways a person can die ◦ Natural – caused by interruption and failure of body functions resulting from age or disease ◦ Accidental – caused by unplanned events ◦ Suicide – occurs when someone purposefully kills oneself ◦ Homicide – death of one person caused by another person ◦ Undetermined – based on the facts of the case and the autopsy, the pathologist cannot determine manner of death

Consider these situations 1. 2. 3. A man with a heart condition is attacked and dies from a heart attack during the assault. Is the manner of death accident or homicide? An elderly woman dies after being kept from receiving proper health care by her son. Is the manner of death natural or homicide? A person has been found with an overturned, empty bottle of pills. Is the manner of death suicide or accidental?

Cause of death � The reason someone dies ◦ Natural: heart disease, cancer, stroke, physical injury, heart attack, disease ◦ Accidental: Car accident, fall from a ladder, struck by lightning ◦ Suicide: Hanging, overdose, gunshot ◦ Homicide: Bludgeoning, shooting, burning, drowning, strangulation, suffocation � Each cause of death brings about a physiological change in the body

Mechanism of death � The specific physiological change in the body that brought about the cessation of life ◦ Example: If the cause of death was a shooting, the mechanism could be loss of blood (exsanguination) or cessation of brain function ◦ Example: If the cause of death was massive trauma from a car accident, the mechanism could be pulmonary arrest (lungs stopped working) ◦ Example: If the cause of death is a drug overdose, a cardiac arrhythmia usually occurs (change in the heart rate)