How To Calculate Time Of Death With Body Temperature

The sample essay on How To Calculate Time Of Death With Body Temperature deals with a framework of research-based facts, approaches and arguments concerning this theme. To see the essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, read on.

In investigating situations which involve the death of a person, one of the initial questions that need to be answered is the time of death. It is through this determination that other information surrounding said death may be discovered. True enough, in uncovering pieces of information that may eventually lead to the ascertainment of details leading to the death of the deceased, it is important to note the approximate time in which said death occurred.

As pointed out by Geberth, time is one of the most important factors that need to be considered in light of murder cases (1996).

Once time of death is established, it becomes easier to point out who will be investigated upon and what kinds of questions will be asked during investigation.

It thus becomes important to determine how the time of death can be established if the only available subject for this quest is the body of the deceased. It has been advanced that there exists different methods which may be used by investigators in determining the time at which the death occurred. Three traditional indicators are used in order to establish the time frame for how long a person has been dead namely, rigor mortis, lividity or hypostatis and body temperature (Evans, 2007).

Where Is The Most Accurate Place To Take The Body Temperature Of The Deceased

For purposes of our study, body temperature and how the same can be of assistance to investigators in determining the time of death will be looked into and discussed.

Get quality help now

Marrie pro writer

Verified

Proficient in: Anatomy

5 (204)

“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

For purposes of determining the approximate time of death by means of body temperature, it becomes necessary to conduct an examination of the body of the deceased. “Generally, time of death is estimated from certain changes that occur in the body following death” (Nickell and Fisher, 1999). Upon death, the body begins the process of cooling. Metabolic processes which enable the body to making heat cease upon death of a person.

It is noted that that the process of cooling and cooling rates were first recorded in the year 1710 by English physician John Davey when he first used the invention of the thermometer in a human body during autopsy. It has been pointed out that the rate of cooling is one such important factor in determining the time of death. As explained by Geberth, “After death, the body gives off heat until it becomes the same temperature as the surrounding medium”(Geberth,1996). For this purpose, it becomes imperative to take note of and record the body temperature of the deceased body.

The most common way of taking the temperature of the deceased is to use a rectal thermometer or to take a temperature reading from the liver, which can achieve a more realistic core body temperature (Rowlinson, 2000). In taking the temperature of the deceased through a reading from the liver, a small hole needs to be cut on the right-rib of the deceased from the lower edge of the body. A thermometer then needs to be inserted from said hole in order to reach the liver surface from which the temperature will be taken.

Measuring the temperature through the rectal area of the deceased, on the other hand, does not require cutting of holes in the deceased body. “Body temperature can be taken by rectum with a thermometer to obtain an accurate reading”(Geberth, 1996). For this purpose, a rectal thermometer just needs to be inserted into the rectal area of the deceased in order to obtain a reading of his body temperature. Once the body temperature is taken note of, the estimation of the time of death may already be undertaken. It is noteworthy that after the occurrence of death, the body loses heat at the rate of approximately 1.

5 degrees per hour until the body reaches an ambient temperature or the temperature of its environment (Lyle, 2004). With this, it must likewise be taken note of that there is an initial maintenance of body temperature which may last for some hours which is also called as “temperature plateau (Pounder ,D. J. ,1995). According to Evans (2007), for purposes of determining the time of death with the use of rectal temperature, the following formula is widely utilized: Normal temp (37? ) – rectal temp. 1. 5 = approx.

no. of hours since death Given a reading of the body temperature of the deceased and the foregoing formula, it then becomes easy for investigators to estimate the time at which the death of the victim occurred. It must be noted, however, that although the body temperature of the lifeless body may be an aid to the determination of time of death, there are other factors that need to be considered as said factors can bring about a change in the body temperature of the deceased. One such factor which may affect the body temperature of the deceased is the weather.

It is important to take note of the prevailing weather at the time the lifeless body was found. The cooling rate is affected by the temperature of the air as the cooling process will be faster on cold and windy days (Nickell and Fischer, 1999). Winds and droughts affect body temperature by increasing convection and conduction from the surface and by evaporating moisture. Bearing this in mind, bodies will be generally cooling faster in the cold and windy days in. Snow, rain and the level of humidity will likewise affect the body temperature of the deceased.

Apart from the weather, the body itself should be examined, especially when it comes to its size, as the same affects the body temperature. True enough, the fat ratio of the dead body will greatly affect the body temperature. Some authors claim that in obese individuals, fat in the body acts as an insulator, but for practical purposes, body mass, whether from muscle mass or adipose tissue, are considered as important factors (Rowlinson, 2000). Another consideration of importance is the amount of subcutaneous fat on the body (Nickell and Fischer, 1999) as fat is one of the materials in our body that makes and keeps the body warm.

Thus, after death, fat becomes one of the obstacles to the cooling process of the lifeless body. It is likewise important to note that the clothing used by the victim may likewise affect the reading of the body temperature. Naturally, clothing, or a lack thereof, produces great difference to cooling rates. (Henssge, Knight, Madea, and Nokes, 1995). The thicker body wear used by the deceased, the harder for the body to cool. The way the deceased body is clothed is truly an imporant factor as heavy clothing will naturally retard the process of cooling (Nickell and Fischer, 1999).

In this regard, it is noteworthy that other coverings such as bedclothes, other fabrics or even debris or another adjacent body covering the deceased body also play an important role for altering the cooling process of the body. It is advanced that the use of body temperature is advantageous for purposes of determining the time of death. This is due to the fact that available data, such as the temperature of the deceased body may be utilized to estimate the time of death without having to resort to other information.

In this regard, the investigators are being given the chance to establish at least one information surrounding said death which may eventually lead to solving any mystery involving the death which took place. With a simple taking of the body temperature, the investigators are already able to estimate the time of death and then conduct further investigation with said information. This method is likewise advantageous and convenient, as the taking of the temperature of the body of the deceased is likewise an easy process which can be undertaken simply through the use of thermometers.

It is through this that body temperature is considered as one such important tool in aiding investigators in determining the approximate time within which the death may have occurred. Despite the foregoing, however, it must be noted that the use of body temperature in determining the approximate time of death has its own disadvantages. As mentioned above, the same cannot be considered as absolutely accurate as other factors would have to be taken note of and evaluated such as the weather, size of the body and the clothing or other materials covering the body.

If said factors are not taken note of properly, it cannot be said that a proper reading of the body temperature may be had. Hence, there can be no such correct estimation of the time of death. It is also advanced that although the taking of the temperature of the deceased body is relatively easy, the same can likewise be considered as invasive of the dead body as when the temperature is to be taken through the liver. As mentioned above, if temperature is to be taken through the liver, there is still a need to cut a hole into the body of the deceased.

It is thus advanced that in using this method of determining or estimating the time of death, investigators should take into mind the different advantages and disadvantages of said method for purposes of evaluating which method will be used for purposes of establishing the time at which the death occurred. REFERENCE Evans, C. , (2007). The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World’s Most Baffling Crimes. New York: Berkley Books. Geberth, V. , (1996). Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, And Forensic Techniques. Florida: CRC Press LLC. Henssge, C. , Knight, B. , Madea, B. and Nokes, L.

, (1995). The Estimation of the Time Since Death in the Early Postmortem Period. London: Arnold. Jackson, A. R. W. and Jackson, J. M. , (2004). Forensic Science. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Lyle, D. , (2004). Forensic For Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing. Nickell, J. and Fischer, J. F. , (1999). Crime Scenice: Method of Forensic Detection. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. Pounder ,D. J. ,(1995). Retrieved April 10, 2009 from http://www. dundee. ac. uk/forensicmedicine/notes/timedeath. pdf Rowlinson,J. ,(2000) . Retrieved April 12, 2009 from http://www. exploreforensics. co. uk/estimating-the-time-of-death. html