Decomposition
Definition
Autolysis (intracellular enzymes) plus putrefaction (bacterial breakdown). Greenish discoloration starts over the right iliac fossa.
- Components
- Autolysis, intracellular enzyme activity, plus putrefaction, bacterial breakdown
- Early sign
- Greenish discoloration over the right iliac fossa
- Cause of colour
- Bacterial action, notably from the caecum's proximity
- Field
- Post-mortem interval estimation
- Variability
- Rate strongly affected by temperature and environment
Common questions
Why does the greenish discoloration typically appear over the right iliac fossa first?+
The caecum, part of the large intestine, sits in that region and carries a dense bacterial population, so putrefactive gas and pigment production tends to start there before spreading across the rest of the abdomen and body.
How reliable is decomposition staging for estimating time since death?+
It gives a broad estimate rather than a precise figure because temperature, humidity, insect access, burial, and clothing all significantly speed up or slow down the process, so pathologists treat visual decomposition staging as one input alongside entomological and other evidence.
Related terms
- Adipocere
- A waxy, soap-like substance formed by saponification of body fat under anaerobic, wet, cool-to-moderate conditions. Replaces unsaturated fatty acids with saturated palmitic...
- Algor Mortis
- Postmortem cooling of the body toward ambient temperature, approximately 1-1.5 degrees Celsius per hour under average conditions. Used alongside other postmortem changes...
- Autopsy
- Systematic external and internal examination of a dead body to find cause, manner and time of death. Ordered under BNSS 2023 Section...
- Cadaveric Spasm
- Instantaneous rigor without a flaccid phase, locking the muscle group active at death (clutched weapon, grass).
- Henssge Nomogram
- A graphical method using rectal temperature, ambient temperature and body weight to estimate PMI within a 95 percent confidence interval, with correction...
- Livor Mortis (Hypostasis)
- Bluish-purple settling of blood in dependent parts. Begins 30 minutes to 2 hours, fixed by 8 to 12 hours.
- Marbling
- Greenish-black branching pattern over superficial veins from haemoglobin plus H2S. 24 to 48 hour sign.
- Mummification
- Preservation of the body by desiccation rather than liquefaction, occurring when surface evaporation rate exceeds the rate of putrefaction gas production. Common...
- Post-Mortem Interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery or examination of remains. PMI estimation draws on multiple disciplines: soft tissue decomposition stage, insect...
- Putrefaction
- Decomposition of tissues by microorganisms, principally anaerobic bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract. Products include hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia, and putrescine, which cause...
- Rigor Mortis
- The post-mortem stiffening of muscle from ATP depletion and actin-myosin cross-linking. Develops over hours, peaks, and resolves with putrefaction.