Here’s what happens to your body when you’re buried
Masterweb
24.03.2023 09:42
Source of the article: Source
We all know that after death the heart stops beating and the organs stop working. If this phenomenon is the destiny of all, a better knowledge of what will happen to the body after its extinction can be interesting. In this sense, Dr Michel Sapanet, forensic pathologist at the University Hospital of Poitiers, highlighted the stages of decomposition of the human body after death.
We avoid thinking about it and yet we know that sooner or later we will. Death awaits us permanently without our being able to know our end time. If some wonder what are the thoughts that cross the mind before dying, for the most curious, know the stages that punctuate death can be fascinating.
What happens to the body after death?
For a long time, researchers have tried to find out what happens at the time of death. Dr. Michel Sapanet, quoted by Le Journal Des Femmes, explains that several steps accompany this process. « Once the blood circulation is interrupted, during natural death by cardiac arrest, the organs are no longer irrigated and the activity of their cells will gradually stop, » he reveals. “Cardiac arrest leads to the failure of other organs, one after another. Death is not an instantaneous phenomenon: all the organs do not die at the same time”, specifies the specialist. It is for this reason that some deceased individuals donate their organs for scientific or medical purposes. In addition, Dr. Michel Sapanet explains that the causes of death and the conditions of preservation of the body can influence the process of decomposition. But generally, the steps are as follows:
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1. Body cooling
When we are alive, our body temperature is between 36 and 37.8 degrees Celsius. Following death, it gradually decreases to reach ambient temperature. As the medical examiner indicates, this cooling may go unnoticed at first but “after one to two hours, the body will lose an average of 1°C per hour”.
2. The appearance of wine stains
When metabolism stops, blood no longer circulates in the body and accumulates in the lower parts of the body. Moreover, the red blood cells will form a heap and the hemoglobin will spread out of the blood vessels. As the specialist indicates, this phenomenon will lead to the formation of wine-coloured stains called “cadaveric lividity”. “On a body lying on its back, these colorations form in the back except at the level of the body’s support zones such as the shoulder blades or the buttocks for example”, specifies Dr Sapanet.
3. Stiffening of the body
Stopping the functioning of metabolisms will make the acid body. The body will then become rigid starting with the muscles of the neck, then those of mastication. The fingers will be tense and the joints will become very rigid.
4. The formation of a green spot on the abdomen
A day or two after death, a green spot will form near the appendix. This will mean that the body is in a state of putrefaction and that organic matter decomposes under the action of bacteria.
5. Abdominal swelling
The bacteria that are in the body will produce gases which will inflate the abdominal cavity. “This phenomenon will move the blood that was stagnating in the vessels: this is called posthumous circulation. The superficial veins of the body will then form a very dark network”, explains the medical examiner.
6. Intensification of foul body odor
During the putrefaction cycle, the bacteria first attack the digestive system before moving on to all the organs of the body. “The body begins to ooze black and red liquids, the skin gradually becomes greenish then black and the body releases very unpleasant odors”, specifies the expert. In addition, fats that break down spread a smell of rancid butterhe says.
7. The laying of flies on the body
It sometimes happens that the body remains for several hours in an airy place, if the body has not yet been found. In this case, as soon as the body temperature drops, flies will come and lay eggs near the openings and in damp places from the body. Thus, the maggots can penetrate the skin and feed on the body.
8. The decomposition of the flesh and the drying of the body
Finally, the flesh will gradually decompose to liquefy or serve as food for maggots. The specialist specifies that the lower the ambient temperature, the longer the body will take to decompose. « When the body is in a coffin, the same steps generally take place, but the process of decomposition takes much longer, sometimes several years, » explains the doctor.
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9. Hair loss
Some people have already heard that after death, hair growth can continue. But Dr Sapanet explains that it is often dehydration of the skin which can make it look like dead body hair is growing always. In reality, the decomposition of the body leads to the loss of hair and body hair. Nails take longer to break down.
10. Skeleton Division
Following the decomposition of each part of the body, we find only the skeleton and the ligaments. Afterwards, the ligaments dry up and tighten, while the skeleton gradually divides.
