Parchmentisation
Definition
Post-mortem drying of pressure-blanched skin under a ligature, producing a dry, brown, leather-like band. Characteristic of hanging where the ligature stays in place after death; rarely seen in strangulation.
- Appearance
- Dry, brown, leather-like band
- Mechanism
- Post-mortem drying of pressure-blanched skin
- Typical context
- Hanging, ligature left in place
- Rare in
- Strangulation
Common questions
Why does parchmentisation favour hanging over strangulation as the mechanism?+
In hanging the ligature typically stays under body-weight tension in the same position after death, letting the compressed skin dry undisturbed into the characteristic band, whereas in strangulation the ligature is often removed or the position shifts during the assault, preventing the same sustained drying pattern.
Can parchmentisation develop if the ligature is removed shortly after death?+
It is far less likely, since the drying process needs sustained pressure and time; a ligature removed quickly reduces both the compression duration and the exposure of the blanched skin to air, both of which drive the parchment-like change.
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