1. Medico-legal Aspects of Death
د/ عبد المنعم جودة مدبولى
دكتوراة الطب الشرعي و السموم الإكلينيكية,
مدرس الطب الشرعي و السموم الإكلينيكية,
استشاري علاج التسمم بمستشفى بنها الجامعي
عضو لجنة مراجعة البرامج و المقررات بوحدة الجودة

2. Definition of death Death Dying (Agony)

3. Cessation of life in a previously living organism…. تعريف جرائد.....
Permanent cessation of all vital functions of body. التعريف الطبي
Is it an event or a process? …Explain?
Is it an event or a process?

4. Phases of death: = death is a biological disintegration process:
SOMATIC (Recent death) ……..
CELLULAR ( Molecular ):
= death is a biological disintegration process:

5. هوما يعتمد عليه فى حساب توقت الوفاة التغيرات الرمية بعد الوفاة
Diagnosis of death
Somatic death
هوما يعتمد عليه فى حساب توقت الوفاة
Cellular death
التغيرات الرمية بعد الوفاة

6. Signs of respiratory arrest:
Diagnosis of somatic death:
Difficult …….….why?
- Death like state
= Suspended animation
Based on: )
Signs of respiratory arrest:
1- Inspection
2- Palpation
Signs of circulatory arrest:
1- Auscultation
3- ECG
Signs of
CNS
arrest
Eye
(ocular signs)

7. Other brain stem reflexes
Diagnostic tests of Brain stem function:
- Barany’s test (Vestibulo-ocular R.)
- Doll’s = Cantellis sign (Oculocephalic R.) +
Other brain stem reflexes

8. Eye (ocular signs)

9. Diagnosis of cellular death: Easy ………………………. Why ?????
Based on: (PM Changes)
Algor mortis = Cooling of body
Rigor mortis = Stiffness of body
Livor mortis = Hypostasis = Skin
discoloration

10. Cause, Mechanism, Mode & Manner of death ”هبوط حاد فى الدوره الدمويه و التنفسيه”

11. Example:
A man presented with acute chest pain. Ventricular Fibrillation was diagnosed as a result of acute Myocardial Infarction. Inspite of supportive measures he died 2 hours later. Past history revealed advanced coronary astheroma, chronic rhomatic heart disease.

12. Viral infection, Gunshot injury Head trauma. Cause of death: Def:
Initial (disease, injury or intoxication) that produce physiological disarrangement ending in death.
Example:
Viral infection,
Gunshot injury
Head trauma.

13. - Physiological disarrangement produced by cause ending in death.
Mechanism of death:
Def:
- Physiological disarrangement produced by cause ending in death.
Example:
- Hemorrhage, shock, infarction, embolism.
N.B.:
A cause of death may have several mechanisms…. (explain).
A mechanism of death may result from several causes … (explain).

14. End result of any cause and mechanism of death.
Mode of death:
Def:
End result of any cause and mechanism of death.
Types:
Heart failure
Respiratory failure
CNS failure
Remember Def. of death ???????????

15. - How cause of death came about………..
Manner of death:
Def:
- How cause of death came about………..
Types:

16. NB:
1- A cause of death may have several manners…
2- Manner of death is an opinion based on:
- circumstances
- autopsy
- lab. analysis
3- Cause of death may be a disease and manner may be homicide ………………………….
4- classification of death as homicide is function of ………………………………
5- but, classification of death as murder is function of …………………..
6- the term homicide is not synonymous with murder.