Death & It's Causes

·         The Lazarus sign is a quick flexion of both arms up over the chest, beneath the chin, observed in brain-dead patients. It may represent spontaneous firing of hypoxic cervical spinal cord neurons.

·         Preservation of Viscera

1. Stomach and its contents
2. 30 cm small Interline and contents
3. Liver > 500 gms
4. One kidney/Half of each
5. Blood 100 cc (in NaF), (Minimum 10 ml)*
6. Urine > 100 cc–(in Thymol)* [Toulene* is the best preservative for urine examination]

• The best preservative for preservation of viscera is rectified spirit.
• Most commonly used preservative is saturated sodium chloride.

• Rectified spirit is not used in:
– Alcohol
– Phenol
– Phosphorous
– Paraldehyde.

• Formaldehyde is used for preservation of Museum specimens and not for preservation of viscera for toxicological analysis.

• Formalin is 40% formaldehyde.

• NaF should be added to urine, blood, vitreous humor for Alcohol estimation and to samples of
– Cocaine (C)
– Carbon monooxide (C)
– Cyanide (C)

Special Preservation

Heart–Strychnine, Digitalis
Spleen-It is the best organ for Cyanide poisoning
Brain–Alkaloids, organophosphates, volatile organic poisons
Bile–Narcotic drugs, cocaine, methadone, Glutathione, Barbiturates, Tranquilizers
Vitreous–Alcohol, Chloroform
Lung–Gaseous poison, HCN, Alcohol, Chloroform
Bone–Arsenic, Antimony, thallium, Radium
Skin–C/o hypodermic injections (10 cm radius about site with muscle and fat), snake bite
Hair, Nails, Uterus, spinal card–When indicated
CSF–(in 10 mg NaF/ml of fluid) in Alcohol intoxication.
Body Fat—Endrin ,DDT(Organo Chlorines)
Muscle–When internal organs badly putrified

• Viscera is stored at 4°C

• Histopathology specimen is preserved in 10% neutral formalin/95% Alcohol

 80% Glycerol in Buffer saline.®• Virology specimen 

·         Drowning in Fresh Water
• Death in fresh water drowning in comparison to salt water is earlier .
• Drowning in fresh water leads to hemolysis and hemodilution, hyperkalemia and the cause of death is ventricular fibrillation.
• In fresh water drowning, chloride content of the left side of the heart is 50% lower

Drowning in Sea Water
• Due to high salinity of sea water (usually over 3% NaCl), water is drawn from blood into lung tissue, and produces severe pulmonary oedema and hypernatraemia, increase in magnisium ion.
• This causes haemoconcentration, the cause of death is Bradycardia.*
• In sea water drowning, chloride content of the left side of the heart is higher (Gettler’s Test)*.

Gettler’s Chloride test
– to differentiate fresh water drowning from sea water drowning
• Chloride estimation is not of any help after 12 hours
• It is not helpful in
o Putrefaction
o Patent Foramen Ovale
o Drowning in Brackish Water
-- Fresh water drowning, chloride content of the left side of the heart is 50% lower

·         Cadaveric spasm or Instantaneous Rigor or Cataleptic rigidity

• In this condition, the muscles that are contracted during life, become stiff and rigid immediately after death, without the stage of primary relaxation.

• It occurs especially in cases of:

A – sudden Asphyxial death
B – injury to the Brain
C – Cerebral hemorrhage
D – Drowning, Di nitro Ortho Cresol posisoning
E – Exhaustion,
F- Fear, Firearm injury.


• This is usually limited to a single group of muscles and frequently involves hands;
• It mainly occurs in voluntary muscles.
• It cannot be produced by any method after death.
• It may be explained on the basis of diminished or exhausted ATP in the affected muscles.
• Rigor mortis simulates cadaveric spasm.