Forensic thanatology is aimed at studying the dynamics and stages of dying. One of the most important parts of this science is thanatogenesis, which determines the true causes and mechanisms of death, and also allows you to create a more advanced classification of the circumstances of a person’s death.
Concept of death
Death is a stop to life. It occurs due to the cessation of the functioning of all organs and is an irreversible process. As a result of the lack of oxygen, the cells of the body die, and the blood stops to be ventilated. If cardiac arrest occurs, then blood flow ceases to perform its functions, which leads to tissue damage.
General concepts of thanatology
Tanatology is a science that reveals the patterns of dying. She also studies the change in the functioning of organs and tissue damage as a result of this process.
Forensic thanatology acts as part of the basic science, considers the process of death and its consequences for the whole organism in the interests and goals of the investigation or for conducting an examination.
During the transition of a living organism to death, it experiences various terminal conditions: predagonal (with a lack of oxygen), terminal pause (a sharp stop of the functions of the respiratory system), agonal and clinical death. The latter occurs as a result of cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest. The body is between life and death, and with it all its metabolic processes fade away.
Since dying is natural at the end of a person's life in old age, forensic medicine considers cases of premature death caused by the influence of various environmental factors.
After clinical, biological death occurs , resulting in irreversible changes in the cerebral cortex. In hospital conditions, the conclusion about the onset of death is easier to make than outside it, in the absence of special tools and devices. Representatives of organs often use the term “moment of death,” which forensic medicine regards as the exact time of its onset.
Signs of death
In order to establish the exact time of the end of life, it is necessary to know the signs of the onset of death, which is studied by thanatology. This is primarily orientating: immobility, lack of pulse and breathing, pallor, complete absence of reactions to various types of influences.
There are also reliable signs: the temperature drops to 20 °, Larsche spots appear, early and late cadaveric changes develop (the appearance of spots, rigor mortis, rotting and others).
Resuscitation and transplantation
Resuscitation measures are taken in order to preserve human life, when the body's functions lose their performance. At the same time, irreparable injuries and injuries due to carelessness or incompetence of doctors can be caused in the process. Forensic thanatology is aimed at identifying the circumstances of death as a result of resuscitation, which makes it possible to assess the injuries inflicted and help further the investigation. The expert's task is to determine the severity of the injuries inflicted and their role in the process of dying.
The essence of transplantation is the transplantation of organs and tissues from one patient to another. The law provides that this event can only be carried out if there is no chance of preserving the life and normalizing the health of the donor. In case of traumatic brain injuries, if there is no hope of saving a life, resuscitation can be carried out in order to preserve the remaining organs, which can be used for transplantation. Thus, the bone marrow can return to normal functioning within 4 hours, and the skin, bone tissue and tendons up to a day (in most cases 19-20 hours).
The basics of thanatology determine the conditions and procedure for ongoing transplantation and organ removal, which should be carried out in public health institutions. A transplant is carried out only with the consent of the two parties involved in the operation. It is forbidden to use the donor’s biomaterial if during his life he was against it or his relatives revealed their disagreement.
The removal of organs is possible only with the permission of the head of the forensic medical examination department, and in the presence of the expert himself. In this case, the procedure should in no way lead to disfigurement of the corpse.
Since thanatology is a doctrine of death, organs and tissues removed during the examination can be used as educational material. This requires the permission of a medical examiner who examined the corpse.
Categories of death
The science of death considers only two categories of death:
- Violent. It occurs as a result of injuries and injuries to water due to the influence of any kind of environmental factors. It can be mechanical influences, chemical, physical and others.
- Nonviolent. It happens under the influence of physiological processes, such as the onset of old age, fatal diseases or premature births, as a result of which the fetus has no chance of survival.
Causes of Violent and Non-Violent Death
Violent death can occur for three reasons, as the science of thanatology claims. This is a murder, suicide or an accident. Forensic experts are involved in determining which genus each particular case belongs to. At the same time, they inspect the scene and collect evidence of the causes of death. These actions help confirm that the end of life has come about by force.
The second category includes sudden and sudden death. In the first case, the end of life occurs as a result of illness. In particular, in which the diagnosis was made, but there were no reasonable reasons for the onset of death. In the second case, dying can occur from a disease that occurs without any symptoms.
Types of death
Tanatology determines the types of death depending on the factors leading to its onset. Thus, the impact of electric current and temperatures incompatible with survival, mechanical damage and asphyxia can be attributed to the violent end of life. Diseases of different organs with all kinds of complications leading to death can lead to sudden death.
Due to the fact that under the current conditions a large number of medications are used and various types of operations are performed, clarification of thanatogenesis is possible with a thorough analysis and examination of the corpse during autopsy by a group of specialists.