This document summarizes the key steps and observations in externally examining a fresh dead body. It describes examining the clothes for evidence, skin for defensive wounds or evidence of the killer, eyes for changes indicating time of death, and muscles for signs of rigor mortis. Rigor mortis is important as it gives clues to time and cause of death based on its onset, extent, and disappearance. Other factors like hypostasis, eye changes, and temperature can also provide clues for estimating time of death. The external exam seeks to understand cause and manner of death and detect any post-mortem changes to the body.

1. EXTERNAL EXAMINATION OF
FRESH DEAD BODY
Prepared by :-
Amr Sameh Rady ,medical student

2. In 16th-century Europe, medical practitioners in army and
university settings began to gather information on the cause and
manner of death.
Ambroise Paré, a French army surgeon, systematically
studied the effects of violent death on internal organs.
Two Italian surgeons, Fortunato Fidelis and Paolo Zacchia,
laid the foundation of modern pathologyby studying changes
that occurred in the structure of the body as the result of
disease.[In the late 18th century, writings on these topics
began to appear.
The beginning of
forensic medicine

3. Stuff
to
be done
Circumstantial
evidence
The body
External examination of fresh dead body

4. Stuff to be done
1. Not disturbing the crime Scene
2.Take many photos of the place ,the
position of the body and any apparent
wound or evidence as the crime weapon
3.Any sample should be numbered and
labeled and take pic where it was found

6. 1. The door was open or close on first entrance the crime
scene Disturbance in the place like ( furniture )
2. Blood spots at the wall ,floor ,spray pattern
3. Searching for the weapon (knife ,gun or cartridge ,poison
bottle )
4. Searching for finger printing
There was a fight
Circumstantial evidence

8. Clothes Skin
Eyes Muscles
The body

9. Clothes
Tearing&Holes Gun powder
Evidence of the killer
HairBlood Finger
printFrom a knife or a bullet or
fighting
Distance of the
firing or even the
deceased had
shot some bullet
himself
All of the sample are sent to the lap to be
analyzed and compared with the database

11. Clothes Skin
Eyes Muscles
The body

12. Skin
2.Color
3.Laceration ,bruises
,stabbing ,penetrating
wound
4.temperature
1.Defensive evidence
Defensive wound
Evidence of the killer
Hypostasis &cause
of the death

13. During examining the skin we should use a
Recording method
Any wound is seen should be pointed at including the length and the depth of the wound

14. 1-Defensive evidence
A-Defensive wound
Any evidence on the body that will confirm that the Death was homicidal
Def :-
A wound sustained when a victim places a hand
(often the palms), arm (lateral forearms) or other
body part in harm’s way to prevent or minimize
the impact of a blow or slashing by a sharp
weapon
EX:-

15. B-Evidence of the killer
-Some times when during the fight scratches by the hand and
some hair or skin become attached under the skin
-We takes sample of what is under the skin
It is possible that the killer left a finger print on the skin of the
victim that we can obtain

16. 2-The color
of the skin
-Soon after death the color of the skin start to change as a result of stagnation and
gravitation of the blood at the most depending area not subjected to pressure….
this process is called
(hypostasis)

17. Importance of hypostasis
1-it gives us a good sign of position of the body at the time of death
as the blood gather by gravity if the body in the supine position the blood will be in the
back …..any change to this site will tells us that the body had been moved
In this photo the body was first
lied on the prone position

18. 2-it also gives a good estimated time of the death
The extent of hypostasis
the hypostasis first appear after one hour as a small batches start to get
larger with time to become fixed and complete after 8 hours
3-it can gives why he is died too according to the color of hypostasis
pale blue-------normal death
deep blue--------asphyxia
Red-----------(co-cyanide-cold)
brown--------(K chlorate poisoning—nitrite poison
pale --------- hemorrhage
So in conclusion the hypostasis could give us the
approximate cause of death ,the timing and if there is
tempering with the body after death (position)

19. 3.Laceration ,bruises
,stabbing ,penetrating wound
-It is very important to identify and record all wound and measure the
length and the depth of them and that is very important of identifying the type of the
weapon and the size of the blade and which side the attack happened
Cut & stabbing wound
*Measuring both the length and depth of the wound

21. Gun shot wound
Some important things :-
1-identify the inlet &the exit to extract the bullet later from the body or from the
scene
2-idetify if there is gun powder , tattooing mark that is helpful in measuring
distance of firing
3-diameter &angle of entry ---it help to identify what type of weapon and where
did the assault stand when he was shooting

23. 4-temprature
of the body
Soon after death the body temp start to decline from the normal body temp until it
reaches the room temp because there are no metabolic process and the cold external
temp
*There are 3 area to measure the temp
from by chemical thermometer
1-Rectal
2-Vaginal
3-Abdominal

24. 2.5c/hrs. 1st 6 hrs.
1.5-2c/hrs. 1st 12hrs.
• So in moderate the body loses 1c /hr. ..the
body needs 18hrs. To reach the room
temp
*Temp of 21c is a sure sign of death
But it is rarely to be used as is affected by many factor
as the room temp and it is hard to know the exact temp
of the body at time of death
Rate of cooling (Simpson's formula)

25. Clothes Skin
Eyes Muscles
The body

26. Concerning the eye we will talk about four things
1. The cornea
2. Eye pressure
3. The sclera
4. The pupil
1-The cornea :-
clouding and accumulation of dust on cell debris and there is no
reflexes

27. 2-Eye pressure :-
there is decrease in the IOP soon after death until it reaches Zero
it decline to ½ the normal pressure after half an hour,1/8 after two hours
and after 3 hours its becomes zero
3-The sclera :-
black spots start to appear after 3 hours due to desiccation of
tissue & accumulation of dust and debris (tacheuoire spots )
4-The pupil:- * loses all reflexes
a- becomes fixed dilated after death resembling(1ry flaccidity)
b- distortion of the pupillary margin
c- muscle tissue of the iris losses tone

28. Clothes Skin
Eyes Muscles
The body

29. If we are going we talk about the
muscle we mustn't forget any of the
following
*Immediately after death the CNS stop sending signals to the
muscles which lead to ( primary flaccidity )
*After two hours the voluntary &the involuntary muscle
become rigid and stiffness And this condition is called (Rigor
Mortis)
*And after 18 hours start to appear flaccidity in all of the
muscles (2ry flaccidity )

30. Rigor mortis
The cause of this
condition is :-
Decrease ATP
production
Dehydration
Dehydrated complex of actin
&myosin
It happens in a descending order starting for the voluntary muscle from the
eye lid muscle ,TMJ and also to the involuntary muscles as(eye constrictor
pupil then Erector pilae “goose skin “and the heart )
*The rigor mortis start at 2 hrs. after death and
reaches it peak at 6hrs. and takes 12 hrs.to
disappears

31. Rigor mortis is so
important as
*Gives us the time of death from
Extent &Rate of disappearance
*Gives us the cause of death from
Time of onset &disappearance as
some factors increase the rate of
disappearance and some decrease it
*Gives us where he was dead as a sure sign of
death and no one can change the body position
in this situation
Goose skin

32. Factors affecting Rigor mortis
Any thing that cause increase ATP resource
decrease the Rigor mortis and other wise
ATP
Athletes
Cold temp
ATP
Child
Asphyxia
Electrocution
Hot temp

33. Secondary flaccidity
It happens as a result of disintegration and autolysis of the
muscular protein
It starts after 18 hours of death
And the muscle doesn't respond to
electrical stimulation as the primary
flaccidity

34. Cases Resembling (Rigor mortis)
1-Cadaveric Spasm :-
Contraction of one group of muscle (voluntary )the hand &the jaw
in most cases usually associated with violent deaths happening
under extremely physical circumstances with intense emotion
*It can be mistaken diagnosis with Rigor mortis but in
this case the spasm stay until the putrefaction
Importance :- the deceased may be holding in his
hand some of the killer belonging (button –hair –
piece of cloth)

35. 2-heat stiffness
It is a state resulting from exposure to fire and high temp which
lead to coagulation of the muscle protein
Contracture of all the flexor muscle in the body this called
(Boxer sign )

36. Finally
The cause of death could be known or assumed from
1-hypostasis (toxic –hemorrhage- asphyxia)
2-Rigor mortis (electrocuted-convulsion)
The time of death could be known from
1-Extent of hypostasis 3-Eye changes
2-Extent of Rigor mortis 4-Temp measuring and Samson's formula
We can also known if there is any change of the body position
after death
1-Hypostasis 2-Rigor Mortis