Post-Mortem
Definition
After death, once the organic matrix has significantly degraded. Post-mortem fractures show dry-bone morphology: transverse, angular, and without spiral curvature.
- Timing
- After death, once organic matrix has degraded
- Fracture shape
- Transverse and angular
- Not present
- Spiral curvature
- Contrast
- Peri-mortem fractures occur while bone is still hydrated and elastic
Common questions
Why does dry bone fracture differently from bone broken near the time of death?+
Collagen loss after death removes the elasticity that lets living or freshly dead bone bend and produce curved, hinging fracture lines. Dry bone behaves more like a brittle material, so it snaps in straight, angular lines instead.
What complicates the peri-mortem versus post-mortem distinction in practice?+
The transition is gradual rather than a sharp cutoff, and factors such as burial environment, temperature and moisture change how quickly collagen degrades, so an examiner has to weigh fracture morphology alongside the estimated post-mortem interval rather than relying on shape alone.
Related terms
- Green-Bone Fracture
- A fracture in bone that still has organic content: characterised by spiral or helical lines, smooth curved edges, and often some elastic...
- Peri-Mortem
- At or around the time of death, when bone retains sufficient collagen to fracture in a ductile, green-bone manner. The precise biological...
- Periosteal Reaction
- New bone formation on the outer cortex in response to infection, trauma, or inflammation during life. When present around a fracture site,...
- Root Etching
- Channels and furrows on bone cortex produced by plant root acids and microbial activity concentrated along the root-bone contact zone. A major...
- Soil Loading
- Fracture of bone by the compressive weight and shifting of overlying sediment over time. Produces fractures at structurally weak points, often with...