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Human Remains
Chapter 14
Forensic Science
Forensic Pathology
• Forensic Pathology: Determination of the cause and
manner of death in cases of suspicious or
unexplained death
• Coroner: elected by the people; doesn’t need a
medical degree to perform autopsies
• Medical Examiner: must be a physician
• Autopsy: to determine cause and manner of death;
must have family’s permission
• Medicolegal Autopsy: family has no say; occurs for
sudden, unexpected, violent or suspicious deaths
Cause and Manner of Death
• Cause of Death: what killed the person (heart attack, car
accident, gunshot, etc.)
• Manner of Death: homicide, natural, suicide, accidental
Autopsy Procedure
• External Examination:
– Establish age, sex, race, height, weight
– Examine body in detail: tattoos, birth marks, moles, scars, clothing, trace
evidence, hair, eyes, teeth
– Determine degree of rigor mortis and decomposition
– Photograph body and take fingerprints
– Note wounds and trauma
• Internal Examination:
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Remove clothing
Make Y incision
Collect samples of body fluids
Remove and examine organs
Trace outside wounds inwards
Remove bullets
Make microscope slides of body tissues
X-ray body
Patterns of Injury
• Mechanical: gunshots,
stabbings, strangulation
• Thermal: extreme heat
(hyperthermia) or extreme
cold (hypothermia)
• Electrical: electrical
currents
• Chemical: drugs, alcohol,
carbon monoxide, poisons
What are the patterns of injury?
PMI (Post Mortem Interval)
• Algor Mortis:
– Tendency of the body to cool after death
– It takes about 17 hours for a body to cool
from normal temp of 37°C to room temp
of 20°C.
• Livor Mortis:
– Pooling of blood at lowest part of the
body
– Changes from reddish to greenish to
brown
• Rigor Mortis:
– Degree of stiffening of the body
– 2-5 hours after death muscles contract
– Rigor mortis disappears within 12-24
hours
Chapter 11
Anthropology and Odontology
Forensic Science
Northfield High School
Amy Urling
Forensic Anthropologists
• Collect skeletal remains at
crime scenes
• Identify skeletal remains
• Report and interpret any
evidence of trauma or
injury apparent on the
bones
• Construct facial features
over a skull (using clay or
computer images)
What Do Bones Tell Us About?
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The age of an individual
Nutritional history
Health status
Prior Injuries
Patterns of muscle
development
Functions of Bones
• Protect Internal organs
• Provide anchors for muscle
attachment
• Facilitate muscle movement
• Repository for minerals
(such as calcium)
Human Skeleton
Human Skull
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D
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G
F
Bone Structure
Compact Bone Structure
Anatomical Terms
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Anterior: in front of
Posterior: in back of
Superior: above, closer to the head
Inferior: below, closer to the foot
Lateral: closer to the side
Medial: closer to the midline
Proximal: closer to the center of the body
Distal: further from the center of the body
Anatomical Term Practice
• The skull is _________ to the pelvis
superior/inferior
• The nasal bone is ________ to the occipital bone
anterior/posterior
• The ulna is ________ to the sternum
proximal/distal
• The clavicle is ________ to the vertebrae
lateral/medial