What happens to the body after death? What happens to the body after death

Most of us would prefer not to think about what happens to our bodies after death. But if you are interested, then continue reading the article.

Gut microbiome

Far from being “dead,” the corpse is teeming with life. A growing number of scientists view the rotting corpse as the cornerstone of a vast and complex ecosystem that emerges soon after a person's death and evolves as the body decomposes.

Decomposition begins a few minutes after death with a process called autolysis, or self-purification. Soon after the heart stops beating, cells are deprived of oxygen, and their acidity increases as toxic chemical products accumulate inside them. Enzymes begin to digest cell membranes, and then seep into the cell and destroy it.

It usually starts in the liver, which is rich in enzymes, and the brain, which has high water content. Eventually, all tissues and organs begin to break down. Damaged blood cells begin to leak from damaged vessels and, due to the force of gravity, settle in capillaries and small veins, discoloring the skin.

The body's temperature begins to drop until it acclimatizes to its surroundings. Then rigor sets in. It starts in the eyelids, jaw muscles and neck before spreading throughout the body and reaching the limbs.

In life, muscle cells contract and relax due to the actions of two filamentous proteins (actin and myosin) that slide along each other. After death, the cells are depleted, the protein filaments freeze. Because of this, the muscles become stiff.

In the early stages, the cadaveric ecosystem consists primarily of bacteria that live in and on the living human body. The body contains a huge number of bacteria. Each of the areas human body provides habitat for a specialized microbial community. By far the largest of these communities lives in the gut, where trillions of bacteria from hundreds or perhaps thousands of different species live.

The gut microbiome is one of the hottest research topics in biology. This is because the gut microbiome plays a role in a variety of conditions and diseases, from autism and depression to irritable bowel syndrome and obesity. But we still don't know much about these microbes. And even less about what happens to them when we die.

Most internal organs are free of germs when a person is alive. However, shortly after death, the immune system stops working, allowing germs to spread freely throughout the body.

Distribution begins in the intestines, at the junction between the small and large intestines. Left unchecked, gut bacteria begin to digest the intestines and then the surrounding tissues. They then invade the capillaries of the digestive system and lymph nodes, spreading first to the liver and spleen, then to the heart and brain.

One day, a team of scientists took samples of the liver, spleen, brain, heart and blood of 11 corpses, 20 and 240 hours after death. They used two different state-of-the-art DNA sequencing technologies combined with bioinformatics to analyze and compare the bacterial contents of each sample.

Specimens taken from different organs in the same corpse are very similar to each other, but very different from those taken from the same organs in other bodies. This may be due in part to differences in the microbiome composition of each corpse, or it may be caused by differences in the time since death.

The bacteria entered the liver 20 hours after death. It took the microbes 58 hours to spread to all the organs from which the samples were taken. Thus, after a person dies, bacteria spread throughout the body systematically.

The degree of decomposition not only varies from person to person, but also differs in different organs of the body.

Rotting

For most of us, the sight of a rotting corpse is at best a disturbing and at worst a disgusting and frightening nightmare. But this is what forensic medical examiners face every day.

In late 2011, SHSU researchers Sybil Bucheli and Aaron Lynn and their colleagues housed two new cadavers and left them in natural conditions.

After the process of apoptosis began and bacteria began to emerge from gastrointestinal tract, rotting begins. This is molecular death - the breakdown of soft tissues into gases, liquids and salts.

The bacteria feed on the body's tissues, fermenting sugars in them to produce gaseous byproducts such as methane, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which accumulate in the body, bloating the abdomen and sometimes other parts of the body.

This leads to further discoloration of the body. As damaged blood cells continue to leak from disintegrating vessels, anaerobic bacteria convert the hemoglobin molecules that once carried oxygen in the body into sulfhemoglobin.

The presence of this molecule in stagnant blood gives the skin the marbled, greenish-black color characteristic of a body undergoing active decomposition.

 
Changing the surrounding ecosystem

A decomposing body changes significantly chemical composition the soil underneath, causing changes that can last for years.

Substances that remain from the body seep into the soil. And microorganisms then transport these substances. Ultimately, the entire process creates a "decomposition island" - a highly concentrated area of ​​organically rich soil.

It is estimated that the average human body is composed of 50-75% water, and each kilogram of dry body mass ultimately releases 32 g of nitrogen, 10 g of phosphorus, 4 g of potassium and 1 g of magnesium into the soil. Decomposition is beneficial to the surrounding ecosystem.

Further research into how decomposing bodies alter ecology could provide a new way to find murder victims whose bodies were buried in shallow graves.

Analysis of grave soil may also provide another possible way to estimate the time of death.

I understand that we are not going to live forever. This means that one day a lady with a scythe will visit us all and take us to her domain. And then, when the soul is free from earthly shackles, a shell called the body will remain. Beautiful or not, old or young, she served us faithfully throughout our earthly existence. And now she lies lifeless and those whose souls have not yet left grieve inconsolably over her. What will happen next? What will happen to what we for a long time considered yourself?

In order to more effectively investigate crimes, forensic scientists came up with “body farms.” The corpses are placed in different conditions and observe how decomposition occurs. Yes, perhaps you shouldn’t go on an excursion there with small children, but for those interested in the issue it will be very instructive. I won’t put up creepy pictures - my imagination will do it for me.

And the hour of death struck!

The heart stops, the body convulses, breathing is rapid, the ears become cold due to lack of blood circulation. Mucus accumulates in the larynx, and the passage of air through it causes a sound known as the “death rattle.” The brain stops functioning. All. Death.

First minute after

Death occurs when the brain stops receiving oxygen. This leads to the fact that other vital organs cease to perform their functions. The body becomes paler and stiff almost immediately due to lack of blood circulation. The eyes take on a glassy shine and the body temperature begins to gradually drop due to a drop in oxygen levels.

From 1 to 9 minutes

The blood coagulates and gives the skin a red-blue tint. The muscles relax, which can result in gastric emptying and bladder. Brain cells die. The pupils become cloudy - this is the result of the destruction of potassium in red blood cells. Many doctors believe that the condition of the eyes can more accurately determine the time of death than rigor mortis. This process can take up to 3 hours. At its end, the brain stem dies.

From 1 to 8 hours

The muscles become stiff and the hair grows. Rigor mortis occurs due to lactic acid in the muscles. Woody, they put pressure on the hair follicles and it seems that the hair continues to grow even after death. From 4 to 6 hours after death, rigor mortis spreads throughout the body. Clotted blood gives the skin a black tint. Processes similar to the destruction of the liver by alcohol continue. The next stage of body cooling begins. In this case, the temperature drops much faster.

From 1 to 5 days

The rigor has passed. The body is again soft and flexible. Funeral service workers use this time to prepare the deceased for the funeral. Dress, put on shoes, put on makeup and fold your arms over your chest. But they need to be buried as soon as possible. After all, very soon (from 24 to 72 hours) microbes begin to corrode the pancreas and stomach. This process leads to liquefaction of internal organs. After 3-5 days of decomposition, the body becomes covered with large blisters. If no measures are taken before this time (embalming, refrigerator), the deceased will look very unpresentable at the funeral. It is quite possible that bloody foam will ooze from his mouth and nose.

8 to 10 days

Bacteria that live in the intestines feed on dead tissue and produce gases. The body swells and emits a foul odor. Due to swelling of the tissue in the neck and face, the tongue protrudes from the mouth. Facial features are distorted and make identification difficult, if necessary. The resulting gases push any remaining feces and fluids out. The body changes color from red to green as red blood cells begin to degrade.

2 weeks

Hair and nails are separated from the body with almost no effort. The skin condition makes it difficult to move the body. It may slip off the decaying muscles like a glove and lie somewhere nearby. The body can only be identified by its teeth. But even if they fell out, they most likely did not fly far from the body.

1 month

Depending on conditions environment, the skin either decomposes or dries out. And then the blowfly comes onto the scene. Often the time of death is determined precisely by the life activity of this insect. After the fly has finished working on internal organs, under certain conditions the body can turn into a mummy.

Several months

During this period, the body turns into a so-called fat wax. This process is called saponification and occurs through anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis. There is evidence that in the 17th century candles were made from such remains for religious vigils. In any case, if the body is found in this condition, then it is quite possible that his facial features are preserved and his identity can be established.

Year

If the body was in the lap of nature all this time, then predators most likely have already feasted on its bones. Vultures, raccoons, wolves and other carrion lovers are unlikely to have left anything that could shed light on either the identity of the deceased or the circumstances of his death. But if the teeth are preserved, identification is quite possible.

So it is very important to go to the dentist in a timely manner and keep a special dental record in order to make the work of our valiant criminologists easier. Yes, just in case. Anything can happen in life.

Comments

Death is a taboo subject for the vast majority normal people. The end of the road frightens us so much that we have created countless religions and beliefs designed to console, reassure, encourage...

Unable to accept a final verdict, people cannot completely eliminate death from their thoughts. The wisest thing, of course, is to take into account the brilliant saying of Epicurus. The Stoic quite reasonably remarked: “While I am here, there is no death, and when it comes, I will no longer be.” But stoicism is for the few. For everyone else, we decided to write a short, medically based guide to what happens to our bodies after we die.

Self-absorption

Almost immediately after the moment of death, the body starts several irreversible processes. It all starts with autolysis, roughly speaking, self-digestion. The heart no longer saturates the blood with oxygen - the cells suffer from the same deficiency. All byproducts of chemical reactions do not receive the usual method of disposal, accumulating in the body. The liver and brain are the first to be used up. The first is because this is where most of the enzymes are located, the second because it contains a large amount of water.

Skin color

Then comes the turn of other organs. The vessels are already destroyed, so the blood, under the influence of gravity, goes down. The person's skin becomes deathly pale. This is exactly how mass culture represents the dead: remember pale vampires and zombies attacking defenseless beauties from dark corners. If the directors tried to make the picture more believable, they would have to show that the rear of the dead aggressor is dark from accumulated blood.

Temperature in the ward

Nothing functions and the body temperature begins to gradually decrease. Cells do not receive the usual dose of energy, protein threads become immobile. Joints and muscles acquire a new property - they become rigid. Then rigor mortis sets in. The eyelids, jaws and neck muscles give in at the very beginning, then everything else comes.

Who lives in the house

There is no longer a person in the dead body, but there is a completely new, corpse ecosystem. Actually, most of the bacteria that make it up lived in the body before. But now they begin to behave differently, in accordance with the changed conditions. We can say that life continues in our body - but our consciousness no longer has anything to do with it.

Molecular death

The decomposition of the human body is an unpleasant sight for most normal (and still living) individuals. Soft tissues break down into salts, liquids and gases. Everything is almost like in physics. This process is called molecular death. At this stage, the decomposition bacteria continue their work.

Unpleasant details

The gas pressure in the body increases. Blisters appear on the skin as the gas tries to escape. Whole flaps of skin begin to slide off the body. Usually, all accumulated decomposition products find a natural way out - the anus and other openings. Sometimes the gas pressure increases so much that it simply ruptures the former person’s stomach.

Return to roots

But even this is not the end of the process. A dead body lying on the bare ground literally returns to nature. Its liquids flow into the soil, and insects spread bacteria around. Criminologists have a special term: “island of cadaveric decomposition.” He describes a patch of soil generously, um, fertilized with a dead body.