How many hours does it take for the body to become numb after death? The bodies of people buried in the last three decades do not decompose

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.

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.

Color of the skin

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 don't get usual dose energy, protein threads become motionless. 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 their way natural way outward - 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.

Many people prefer not to think about what happens to the body in the coffin. It so happens that in our community the topic of death is taboo; they prefer not to raise it, and if life circumstances force it, then talk about it as little as possible and in the most polite terms possible. It is completely unethical to directly state, for example, about rotting, although due to the education received, the majority of our fellow citizens are well aware that these are the processes that occur with a body placed in the ground. However, the coffin may simply contain ashes remaining after cremation. In such a situation, organic processes will be somewhat different and will not proceed in the same way as during the burial of ordinary remains. On the other hand, usually the ashes of a cremated person are preserved in completely different ways.

What awaits us?

Opinions regarding what happens to the body in the coffin vary greatly - much depends on which religious branch a particular person belongs to. Many, for example, believe in resurrection, so they are convinced that nothing bad happens to bodies - they are waiting in the wings. Others believe that an apocalyptic situation may occur, when the dead will rise from their graves and unleash their wrath on the living. For such a faith, the idea of ​​complete decomposition of the body is also poorly suited - after all, someone (something) needs to get up.

Religions, philosophical movements, rituals and traditions have long tried to give people an idea of ​​what happens after death - and all this for the simple reason that such a transition frightens most people. It is because of this that the topic of death is so carefully avoided in society, and certainly not talked about about how the human body decomposes. This is considered categorically unethical, ill-mannered, and even very ugly behavior if someone’s loved one has died. The idea of ​​decomposing the remains of someone we loved so much is not just upsetting, it is insulting.

And do not accept, and do not forget

Despite such great difficulties traditionally associated with the perception of the moment of death, a person still cannot abandon the reasoning and reflections associated with the transition from life to non-existence. Of course, Epicurus expressed himself very wisely on this matter in his time, answering that there is no death while he is alive, and when it comes he will no longer be there, which means there is nothing to fear. At the same time, this idea is not very compatible with beliefs in the transmigration of souls, the afterlife and other forms of the future existence of the human essence, therefore not everyone is ready to accept Epicurean statements, and the fate of the coffin in the ground sincerely worries many, many. Surprisingly, many are afraid to admit their interest, considering it shameful.

How it all begins

As soon as life ceases, irreversible organic reactions begin in the body. The first among them, as doctors say, is autolysis, in other words, independent digestion. own cells. Doctors have more than once studied what happens to the human body after death, and therefore have discovered that negative processes are primarily caused by a lack of oxygen. Once death occurs, the blood is no longer supplied with this essential component, resulting in severe damage to living cells.

Chemical reactions occurring in the human body become sources of toxic compounds. During life, internal organs effectively remove such organic matter, producing high-quality cleaning. When considering what happens to the human body after death, it is necessary to remember: there is no longer blood flow or organ activity, thanks to which toxic components could be removed from living cells, so instead of disposal, accumulation occurs. The brain and liver are the first to suffer from such negative processes. This is due high content water in the structures of the main organ of the nervous system, and the liver is rich in active enzymes.

It won't go unnoticed

If changes in the structure of the brain and liver occur inside the body and remain invisible to an external observer, then the next step, if it was not decided to cremate the person in a timely manner, can be observed with your own eyes - the skin changes. The shade becomes pale, it is usually described as “dead”, it will be so characteristic in such a situation.

The process is explained quite simply. As the internal systems are destroyed, the vessels also lose their functionality. In such a situation, the blood gradually flows down in the direction of the person’s location relative to the surface of the earth, which is due to the influence of gravity. By the way, it’s no secret to anyone what happens to the body in the coffin, which is why in popular culture the living dead are usually portrayed as pale as this. These include vampires and zombies in films, books and games. Living in dark corners, fearing the light, the “dead” are ready to pounce on the living, whose blood is still warm and full. However, in films usually the heroes of the “otherworldly” world are uniformly light, but in reality the body with back side takes on a dark hue as blood accumulates here.

No heat

Perhaps this element of the processes that occur with a person’s body in a coffin is also very well presented in popular culture: the deceased person becomes cold. This is due to the impossibility of functioning of internal systems and organs. Influenced stagnant processes, absence of energy generation reactions, the temperature decreases. The process is not instantaneous, but inevitable. Cells don't get necessary nutrition, including energy, due to which the threads of protein compounds become static. This leads to hardening of the muscle tissue, it becomes rigid. Joints change in a similar way. In medicine, this stage is called rigor mortis.

If the cremation of a person was not organized in a timely manner, the processes can be noticed first of all by the face. The first changes are reflected in the eyelids of the deceased and in the condition of the jaws. The next step is the muscle tissue of the neck. Gradually, this process covers the entire body.

A holy place is never empty

When considering what happens to the body of the deceased in the coffin, it is necessary to understand that the person himself as such is no longer here. This is just a set of organic tissues that is completely subject to the laws of our world, namely: living organisms can use everything that is on the planet to ensure that they can live longer. This also applies to the bodies of deceased people.

While a person is alive, the internal organs produce various components that do not allow microbes and viruses to multiply inside. After death this protective system loses its ability to work, so a new ecological system soon develops - it is due to it that the body rots. Many bacteria whose growth is activated are also present in living organisms, but their colonies are strictly controlled immune cells, but after death, real freedom begins for microscopic life. In fact, the body is still alive, but has no consciousness. This is one of the most characteristic features organic life on our planet, where it cannot remain absolutely empty space, if it is at least to some extent suitable for habitation. The human body is organic matter rich in nutritional components, so this is definitely a “holy place”, even if the fellow tribesmen of the deceased are offended by such behavior of microscopic organisms as disrespect for the memory of the deceased.

Molecular death

For your own sake mental health you should not open the coffin standing in the crypt: you can thereby give yourself the opportunity to contemplate one of the most unaesthetic, unpleasant (and, by the way, dangerous to the health of living things) stage of decomposition - molecular death. By the way, as studies have shown, in the majority of living people the picture of post-mortem decomposition causes disgust, and the absence of such a reaction in modern medicine is considered as a pathological response to an external factor. This is due to the body’s protective reactions: it has been known since ancient times that decomposed bodies are dangerous, can become a source of infection, and provoke epidemics of terrible diseases. At a subconscious level, humanity as a species has developed a defense against such a threat in the form of aversion to the process of decomposition.

However, even if we ignore attempts to survive as a species and just look at what happens to the body in the coffin, we still have to admit that the picture is rather unaesthetic. Before soft fabrics Over time, they turn into a mixture of gases, liquids and salt deposits. The process is largely due to the activity of microscopic life forms.

Step by step

If you look at the body in the coffin a year later, you will see some remains of soft tissue, still decomposing under the influence of microflora, but the process of decay itself is completed by this time. But if you have to get acquainted with the corpse earlier, the picture will frankly not be pleasant. First, the pressure of gaseous masses increases in the body, which leads to the formation of blisters on the skin - the air tries to escape into the free external space. Under the influence of such processes and decomposition itself, the flaps of integument are gradually separated from the body, and the results of the processes leave what was previously a living organism. There are known cases when high blood pressure led to a small explosion inside the body of the deceased person. In such a situation, the abdominal area is the first to suffer.

Return to roots

At first, all these processes occur very intensively and actively, but over time, the volumes of organic matter available for processing decrease significantly, which leads to a slowdown in chemical reactions. The remains return to where we came from - to nature. The liquid gradually penetrates the soil, the bacteria find new carriers - insects. Criminologists use the term “island” in their work practice. It is they who describe the area where it was buried human body- gradually there are practically no traces left of it, only the soil seems to be improved with rich organic fertilizer. By analyzing its chemical composition, one can determine what exactly was here previously.

Not everything goes according to plan

There are situations when processes do not proceed at all as described above. Preservation possible. Many believe that this is more characteristic of recent decades, the development of industry, the saturation of fabrics human body chemical components - however, this opinion is disputed by no fewer people than there are who agree with it. There are several known ways to preserve the body of a deceased person:

• mummification;
• fat wax;
• peat tanning;
• freezing.

How and why?

The specific process is determined by the conditions. There are known traditions in some areas when people, even during their lifetime, took measures to preserve their bodies. For example, this is exactly the practice that the Sokushinbutsu monks engaged in: first they adhered to a strict diet, and then immured themselves high in the mountains. However, now this practice is recognized as harsh and is officially prohibited. It is curious: despite numerous difficulties, only very few of the fanatics of this religious trend achieved real success. For the majority, despite all the measures taken (eating roots, refusing liquids), natural laws turned out to be stronger, so after death I observe quite ordinary organic decomposition in accordance with the laws of our world.

The name of the last Japanese monk to successfully follow this idea is Tetsuryukai. Interestingly, he became the “Buddha in the flesh” after the introduction of the imperial ban on such a sophisticated form of suicide, but loyal followers were able to present the matter in such a way that no one had broken the laws. To this day, the mummy of this monk can be seen in one of the Japanese temples in Nangaku.

What happens to a body in a coffin in a regular cemetery?

When a person is buried, according to our traditions, the body in the coffin goes to the cemetery. In contrast to sophisticated methods of preserving organic tissues, here everything happens exactly the opposite: what was once a person is at the mercy of numerous small organisms living in the thickness of the earth. Mechanical influence, in other words, tissue absorption, is the responsibility of mold fungi, nematodes, and maggots, which happily feed on the “treat.”

The laws of this world

Decomposition occurs most quickly at elevated temperatures; in water, the process takes slightly longer, and is slowest underground. A special Kasper rule was developed regarding the relationship between periods: a week in the open air corresponds to two weeks of decomposition in water and two months in the thickness of the earth.

British scientists decided to study how the body decomposes and organized an experiment by laying out 65 pig carcasses in the open air.

These studies will help in the future to determine burial sites, including relatively old ones, using a specially designed device.

Officially, it takes 15 years for a body to completely decompose in a coffin. However, re-burial is allowed after approximately 11-13 years after the first. It is believed that during this time both the deceased and his final resting place will completely decompose, and the earth can be reused. Most often, this period is sufficient for the almost complete disappearance of the corpse. Thanatology and forensic medicine deal with post-mortem mechanisms of the body, including partly the study of how a body decomposes in a coffin.

Immediately after death, self-digestion of human internal organs and tissues begins. And with it, after some time, rotting. Before a funeral, processes are slowed down by embalming or refrigerating the body to make the person appear more presentable. But underground there are no longer any restraining factors. And decomposition destroys the body in full swing. As a result, all that remains is bones and chemical compounds: gases, salts and liquids.

In fact, a corpse is a complex ecosystem. It is a habitat and breeding ground for large quantity microorganisms. The system develops and grows as its habitat decomposes. Immunity turns off soon after death - and microbes and microorganisms populate all tissues and organs. They feed on cadaveric fluids and provoke further development rotting. Over time, all tissues completely rot or decay, leaving a bare skeleton. But it too may soon collapse, leaving only individual, especially strong bones.

What happens in the coffin after a year

After a year has passed after death, the process of decomposition of residual soft tissue sometimes continues. Often, when excavating graves, it is noted that after a year after death, the cadaveric smell is no longer present - the rotting is complete. And the remaining tissues either slowly smolder, releasing mainly nitrogen and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, or there is simply nothing left to smolder. Because only the skeleton remained.

Skeletonization is the stage of decomposition of the body when only one skeleton remains. What happens to the deceased in the coffin about a year after death. Sometimes some tendons or particularly dense and dry areas of the body may still remain. Next will be the process of mineralization. It can last for a very long time - up to 30 years. Whatever remains of the deceased’s body will lose all “extra” minerals. As a result, what remains of a person is an unfastened pile of bones. The skeleton falls apart because the joint capsules, muscles and tendons that hold the bones together no longer exist. And it can remain in this form for an unlimited amount of time. At the same time, the bones become very fragile.

What happens to the coffin after burial?

Most modern coffins are made from ordinary pine boards. Such material is short-lived in conditions of constant humidity and will last in the ground for a couple of years. After that, he turns into dust and fails. Therefore, when digging up old graves, it’s good to find several rotten boards that were once a coffin. The service life of the final resting place of the deceased can be somewhat extended by varnishing it. Other, harder and more durable types of wood may not rot large quantity time. And especially rare, metal coffins are quietly stored in the ground for decades.

As a corpse decomposes, it loses fluid and slowly turns into a collection of substances and minerals. Since a person is 70% water, it needs to go somewhere. It leaves the body in all possible ways and seeps through the bottom boards into the ground. This obviously does not extend the life of the tree; excess moisture only provokes its rotting.

How a man decomposes in a coffin

During decomposition, the human body necessarily goes through several stages. They can vary in time depending on the burial environment and the condition of the corpse. The processes that occur with the dead in the coffin ultimately leave the body with a bare skeleton.

Most often, the coffin with the deceased is buried after three days from the day of death. This is due not only to customs, but also to simple biology. If after five to seven days the corpse is not buried, then this will have to be done in a closed coffin. Because by this time autolysis and decay will have developed en masse, and internal organs will slowly begin to collapse. This can lead to putrefactive emphysema throughout the body, leakage of bloody fluid from the mouth and nose. Now the process can be stopped by embalming the body or keeping it in the refrigerator.

What happens to the corpse in the coffin after burial is reflected in several different processes. Collectively, they are called decomposition, which, in turn, is divided into several stages. Decomposition begins immediately after death. But it begins to manifest itself only after some time, without limiting factors - within a couple of days.

Autolysis

The very first stage of decomposition, which begins almost immediately after death. Autolysis is also called “self-digestion.” Tissues are digested under the influence of the breakdown of cell membranes and the release of enzymes from cellular structures. The most important of these are cathepsins. This process does not depend on any microorganisms and begins independently. Internal organs such as the brain and adrenal medulla, spleen, and pancreas undergo autolysis most quickly, as they contain the largest amount of cathepsin. Somewhat later, all the cells of the body enter into the process. This provokes rigor mortis due to release from intercellular fluid calcium and its connection with troponin. Against this background, actin and myosin combine, which causes muscle contraction. The cycle cannot be completed due to the lack of ATP, so the muscles are fixed and relaxed only after they have begun to decompose.

Autolysis is partly facilitated by various bacteria that spread throughout the body from the intestines, feeding on the fluid flowing from decomposing cells. They literally “spread” throughout the body through the blood vessels. The liver is primarily affected. However, bacteria reach it within the first twenty hours from the moment of death, first promoting autolysis and then rotting.

Rotting

In parallel with autolysis, a little later than its onset, rotting also develops. The rate of decay depends on several factors:

• The state of a person during life.
• Circumstances of his death.
  Soil humidity and temperature.
• Density of clothing.

It begins with the mucous membranes and skin. This process can develop quite early if the soil of the grave is wet, and in the circumstances of death there is blood poisoning. However, it develops more slowly in cold regions or if the corpse contains insufficient moisture. Some strong poisons and thick clothing also help slow it down.

It is noteworthy that many myths about “moaning corpses” are associated specifically with rotting. This is called vocalization. When a corpse decomposes, gas is formed, which primarily occupies the cavities. When the body has not yet rotted, it exits through natural openings. When gas passes through vocal cords, constrained by numb muscles, the output is sound. Most often this is a wheezing or something similar to a groan. Rigor most often passes just in time for the funeral, so in in rare cases A terrifying sound can be heard from a coffin that has not yet been buried.

What happens to the body in the coffin at this stage begins with the hydrolysis of proteins by proteases of microbes and dead cells of the body. Proteins begin to break down gradually, to polypeptides and below. At the output, free amino acids remain instead. It is as a result of their subsequent transformation that a cadaverous odor arises. At this stage, the growth of mold on the corpse and the colonization of it by maggots and nematodes can speed up the process. They mechanically destroy tissues, thereby accelerating their decay.

The liver, stomach, intestines and spleen are the most susceptible to decomposition in this way, due to the abundance of enzymes in them. In this regard, very often the peritoneum of the deceased bursts. During decay, corpse gas is released, which fills the natural cavities of a person (swells him from the inside). The flesh is gradually destroyed and exposes the bones, turning into a fetid grayish pulp.

The following external manifestations can be considered clear signs of the onset of rotting:

• Corpse greening (formation in iliac region sulfhemoglobin from hydrogen sulfide and hemoglobin).
• Putrefactive vascular network (blood that does not leave the veins rots, and hemoglobin forms iron sulfide).
• Cadaveric emphysema (the pressure of the gas produced during putrefaction swells the corpse. It can invert the pregnant uterus).
• Glowing of a corpse in the dark (production of hydrogen phosphide, occurs in rare cases).

Smoldering

A corpse decomposes most quickly in the first six months after burial. However, instead of rotting, smoldering may begin - in cases where there is not enough moisture and too much oxygen for the former. But sometimes decay can begin even after partial rotting of the corpse.

For it to occur, it is necessary that enough oxygen enters the body and not a lot of moisture enters. With it, the production of corpse gas stops. The release of carbon dioxide begins.

Another way is mummification or saponification

In some cases, rotting and decay do not occur. This may occur due to the processing of the body, its condition, or an environment unfavorable for these processes. What happens to the dead person in the coffin in this case? As a rule, there are two options left: the corpse is either mummified - it dries out so much that it cannot decompose normally, or it is saponified - a fat wax is formed.

Mummification occurs naturally when a corpse is buried in very dry soil. The body is well mummified when there was severe dehydration during life, which was aggravated by cadaveric desiccation after death.

In addition, there is artificial mummification through embalming or other chemical treatment, which can stop decomposition.

Fat wax is the opposite of mummification. It is formed in a very humid environment, when the corpse does not have access to the oxygen necessary for rotting and decay. In this case, the body begins to saponify (otherwise known as anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis). The main component of fat wax is ammonia soap. All subcutaneous fat, muscles, skin, mammary glands and brain are converted into it. Everything else either does not change (bones, nails, hair) or rots.

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In any profession there are core ethics of paramount importance. Medicine, for example, bases its professional practice on the Hippocratic Oath, which articulates the ethics of treatment. The law bases its practice on legal ethics. The highest ethics for the funeral profession are known to be based on respect for the deceased. The ethical question “What should be done with the deceased?” can be understood ambiguously. Some people believe that the deceased should be buried in the ground. Others advocate cremation. Still others believe that the bodies of the dead should be transferred to medical educational institutions. Still others support the idea of ​​freezing the dead, while others advocate drowning. Sixth - for sending into space...

ETHICAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS A DEAD BODY
One way or another, the main result in the history of mankind is that in all centuries people tried to get rid of dead body As soon as possible. Firstly, people were driven by a sense of their own safety - even in ancient times it became clear that a dead body could be dangerous to the living. Secondly, people could not afford, did not want to watch the rapid decay that was destroying the dead body of a loved and dear person. The transformation of a loved one into a formless rotten biomass is the highest test for anyone. Although history knows many examples when loving husband, the wife or mother did not want to part with the dear deceased, they delayed the burial for a month or more. But the stench, the unsightly appearance, and common sense urged him to perform the regrettable act of burial.
In Western culture there is an attitude of denial and disdain towards dying and death. In particular, modern culture places an extremely high value on things that are new, shiny, and useful, while devaluing things that are old, worn, and unusable. And therefore, the value human corpse often low, because the corpse symbolizes death, disgusting in our materialistically superficial culture, which tries to avoid any vision and knowledge of it. In addition, the body of a deceased person represents a psychological and ethical paradox for people, since the living is always attractive, but the sight of a dead body is repulsive. The dead symbolize destruction and despair, and since living people do not want to deal with destruction and despair, we have come up with an elaborate system of protective measures to help us cope with this situation.
However, treating the deceased with respect is deeply ingrained in human nature, no matter to what extent we show our disdain, apathy or even disgust. We call for ethical or respectful treatment of the dead. Even our distant ancestors, the Neanderthals, had this attitude.
Anthropological studies prove that the burial of human bodies is a practice more ancient than all religious rites, which was used about 60 thousand years BC. In the Shandiar Cave in Iraq, researchers discovered corpses decorated with elk antlers and shoulder blades. Flower pollen was found, which was probably used as an offering to the deceased and masked the unpleasant odor during funeral ritual. Neanderthals exhibited the primary behavioral characteristics of our natural and instinctive urge to treat the dead with great respect. This genetically and instinctively determined tradition continues to this day, ennobled by our modern culture and intellect.
From a review of the history of mankind, it becomes clear that disdain for the dead clearly represents underlying reason reduction of state and public order. History shows us that the final disappearance of many civilizations was foreshadowed by increasing indifference to the care of their dead. Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece and Nazi Germany are examples of such civilizations. Examining the fall of these powerful empires, it is discovered that the lack of proper care for the dead was widespread. Historical chronicles show that the observance of rites, rituals and mourning ceremonies for the dead serves as a remarkable example of the perfection of some past cultures.
The eminent British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone (1809-1898) succinctly spoke about the ethical, moral and sociological consequences of neglecting the care of the dead:
“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical precision the degree of mercy of this people, its attitude towards the laws of the state and its devotion to the highest ideals.”
This eloquent quote contains a deep moral truth, and funeral professionals often use it as a quote. But no matter how many times these words are mentioned, their impact on our profession, on society and on humanity as a whole will never end.
A common type of burial on the islands of colonial England. The messenger of the world of the dead is dressed in a half-monk's shroud - the vestment of a half-pharaoh. A young man climbed a tree in fear, giving way to the agent of death

INFECTION HAZARD
The decay of the body begins immediately after death. The body becomes the host of many organisms. Tissues and fluids inside the body change color and texture and become separated from the bones over time. Although rotting is a natural process, decomposition produces odors that cause universal disgust and fear of contamination. The body must return to the ground or burn in fire. Today, more than half of humanity prefer the fiery method of getting rid of a dead body. In some cultures, death is not considered final until the body is completely gone. Decay time depends on internal factors such as weight, embalming procedures, and external conditions such as exposure to moisture and oxygen. In some cases, corpses dry out or undergo chemical changes that cause partial, temporary or full preservation. However, in most cases, only deliberate mummification will save human remains from turning into dust.
The fear of infection from the dead is as strong today as it was in ancient Greece. The miasma emitted by a decomposing corpse is believed to pollute the earth and air. The ancient Romans and nineteenth-century cemetery reformers advocated burying the dead outside the city to protect people from dangerous fumes rising from the graves.
Planting trees in the cemetery was supposed to reduce the amount of toxic fumes in the air. Despite this, gravediggers often fell ill and died as a result of contact with the dead. Hughes Marais describes the following incident in 1773: “On the fifteenth of January of this year, a gravedigger, who was digging a grave in the Montmorency cemetery, touched with his shovel a corpse buried a year before. Fetid vapors rose from the grave, inhaling which he shuddered... When he leaned on a shovel to fill the hole he had just dug, he fell dead.”
On another occasion, in 1773, a grave was being dug in the nave of the church of Saint-Saturnin in Saly. During the excavation work, a previously existing grave was opened, from which such a vile stench emerged that everyone who was in the church at that time was forced to leave it. One hundred and fourteen of the 120 children preparing for their first communion became seriously ill, and 18 present, including the priest and vicar, died. Gravedigger Thomas Oakes died while digging a grave at Aldgate Church in 1838, Edward Luddett died instantly when he tried to remove Oakes from the hole.
As people gained a better understanding of disease, deaths were attributed to cholera or plague, which was transmitted from the dead. Those who handled corpses soon learned to take precautions, and embalming, as a sanitary measure, began to gain increasing popularity. When Tom Dudley, captain of Mignonette, died of the plague in Sydney, Australia, in the early 20th century, his body was wrapped in sheets soaked in disinfectant and placed in a coffin. The coffin was filled with sulfuric acid and mercuric perchloride, lowered down the river and buried in a very deep grave.
There are thousands of such deadly examples, they are found in all countries, described on all continents. And embalming specialists still protect themselves and the public from infectious corpses, but the fumes of the dead continue to haunt the living.
The type of burial among the Australian aborigines is a typical Asian way of leaving a corpse to be devoured by birds - vultures in the Towers of Silence (India) and in the trees (Australia)

PHASES OF DECOMPOSITION
The odors emitted by a dead body are very unpleasant, they cannot be compared with anything and cannot be erased from memory: It is a smell from which people instinctively recoil, as if from a slap in the face. People find the smell of human remains more repulsive than any other sensory test. People who encountered it for the first time say that their nose stopped smelling it only after a few weeks and even years later, just the memory of this smell evokes its full sensation. Pathologist F. Gonzalez-Crussi notes: “Wash a decomposing corpse in sweet-smelling perfume, but it will still stink of rotten carrion even on a bed strewn with roses.” Some try to cover up the smell with cigars, coffee, or menthol ointment, which they apply under their nose.
Those who work in emergency rooms, like pathologists, are well acquainted with the smells of death and classify the dead into three categories: fresh, ripe and overripe. All medical students know from their anatomical theater classes that the smell of death is very difficult to get rid of, but out of context it is sometimes difficult to recognize. The 21-year-old woman, whose apartment was one floor above that of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, told reporters that she often complained to the manager about the smell: “It permeated my clothes and I couldn’t get rid of it, even after a bath. Could we have imagined that these were dead people?»
The natural decomposition of the body is accompanied by the formation of large amounts of hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, methane and ammonia, which create enormous pressure inside the body and inside the coffin. The gas generated inside the body gradually causes the drowned body to float, even if a weight is attached to it. When the flesh has decomposed enough and the gas has room to escape, the body floating on the surface can sink again and eventually become a skeleton. Numerous chemical changes occur inside a dead body, one of which is the hydrolysis and hydrogenation of fats, a process by which muscles, entrails and adipose tissue are replaced by a light, soapy, waxy substance called fat wax. The smell of this substance has a special power.
The funeral chulpa had the shape of a triangular pyramid. They assembled a pyramid from unfired bricks. Sometimes the chulpa was built in the form of an obelisk. It was widespread among peoples South America, in Mexico and especially among the American Indians. The bodies, previously embalmed in a special South American way, were wrapped in their own clothes, over which they put on a funeral vestment with a cap and an opening for the face and legs. The dead were buried sitting in a family circle, “looking” at each other. It was these family crypts that were discovered by the first Spanish conquerors of South America.

PHYSICAL FATE OF THE BODY
Several factors influence the decay of bodies, which can be divided into four stages according to the condition of the corpse: fresh, bloated, decomposed and dry. It is known from practice that one week in the air is equal to two weeks in water and eight weeks in land. Most quick way decomposition of remains - cremation, which reduces tissue decomposition to one hour.
If the body is exposed to heat or the person had a fever at the time of death, decomposition will occur more quickly. High temperatures accelerate autolysis - the destruction of tissue by the body's natural enzymes. A body left to the elements in winter decomposes faster from the inside, and exists Great chance spots, mold, and discoloration on the skin because the skin does not separate from the body as quickly. Clothes or shrouds speed up the decay process. Skinny people and those who die suddenly in perfect health decompose more slowly than others. Deep burial also slows down decomposition. Bodies buried at a depth of one and a half meters take many years to turn into skeletons. Embalmed bodies may decompose more slowly during the first six months, depending on the amount of fatty tissue. Embalming can slow down maggot activity and the body's disintegration.
Two graves of Mr. Bech and Captain Inn in the English colony in Malaysia. Trying to imitate the funeral tradition of England, the natives wove grave baskets, symbolizing the universe, and laid out a bamboo gravestone

RELATED FACTORS
Like embalming, quicklime (which many believe shrinks the body even faster) is a preservative. Lime reacts with body fat to form a solid soap that resists insects and bacteria and retards decay. Various parts of the body may decompose with at different speeds. In soil with high natural acidity, bones are poorly preserved, but some organic remains may be preserved. In basic soils, organic residues decompose quickly, but bones are preserved. Parts of the body that are more resistant to decay than other parts include bones, teeth, cartilage, hair and nails. The female uterus, a very hard and compact muscular organ, is considered the most resistant organ of the human body to decay.
In hot, dry climates, the body may mummify in some places and decompose in others, especially where parts are pressed against each other or are located in a cramped area from which liquid cannot easily evaporate.
The decay of the body is often aided by insects if they have access to it. Folklore is replete with descriptions of worms devouring our earthly remains, as in the following two versions of a popular English song:
1. When a coffin is being carried along the street towards you
Don't you think kaput will come to me too?
They will put on a wooden shirt,
They will lower it into the hole and fill it up to capacity.
And in the skull countless worms will live
And they will wander back and forth -
Fuit-fuit-fuit.
2. When a dead man is being carried along the street
You think, alas, kaput will come to me too
Covered with a shroud and buried deep
And I will become food and a hole for worms.
They will eat and spit out my insides
And they will wander back and forth - hoho-hoho-hoho.
The physical fate of the body after death is a very good reason for modesty during life, since flies are not too picky about the bodies in which they lay eggs. When outdoors, they lay thousands of eggs in the nose, mouth, ears and any damaged areas. In hot climates, the larvae can strip a corpse down to the bones in about 10 days to two weeks. Even in cold climates, larvae can survive in the heat generated by the decomposition of a corpse.
William "Tender" Russ, a 61-year-old gravedigger, complained to an interviewer that modern funeral services are omitting a Bible verse from the Book of Job that talks about worms eating human flesh. "They say these things sound disgusting. They really are disgusting. But people need it when they look down on the graveyard."
Worms serve as a reminder of the mortality of our species, and both help and hinder forensic anthropologists who study them to determine the time of death and then have to search around for the cause. For serial killer Dennis Nilsson, flies served as a reminder of the victims he placed under his floorboards. Twice a day he sprayed his apartment to kill the flies that flew from the decaying flesh of the dead. Although blowfly larvae are most often associated with the dead, the Wall Street Journal writes that the most common fly found in mausoleums and crypts is the humpback fly. Such flies lay eggs on the body before burial or inside the coffin. If the adults are unable to squeeze into the coffin through a sealed crack, they lay eggs along the cracks so that the offspring can enter through it after hatching from the eggs. There is evidence that one pair of humpback flies in a grave can produce 55 million adult flies in just two months.
Bodies left unburied may become prey to even more species of insects, including several species of flies and beetles.
The Museum of Mummies in Guanajuato, whose collection includes more than a hundred mummified bodies, clearly demonstrates the unusual attitude of local residents towards death. The mummies, displayed in glass cases at the museum, are quite well preserved. Unlike Egyptian mummies, Mexican mummies were the result severe dehydration bodies, rather than deliberate embalming. This is due to the fact that the soil in Mexico is rich in minerals and the atmosphere is very dry.
Photo: poetry.rotten.com. All rights reserved.

CORPSE RECIRCULATION
Despite its extreme unattractiveness, eating by insects is just one way of recycling corpses. The corpse as fertilizer is a theme that has been the subject of many poems and has been put into practice in the collection of human remains. In England in the 1830s and 1840s, tons of human bones were ground up in mills and used as fertilizer. In China, bones were collected for this purpose in necropolises. Nineteenth-century economists saw more benefit in cremation rather than burial, knowing that ashes are excellent fertilizer.
Others demanded that cemeteries be turned into crop farms. “The wonderful flowers that bloom here are / fertilized by Gertie Grier” - this is the most common epitaph. Many people asked to be buried in their own gardens, but the idea that the body should turn into part of the vegetables we eat was accused of cannibalism, although the charge was later dropped: "After death, undergoing various transformations during decomposition, the human body "is converted into other organic substances. These substances can be absorbed by plants, and people can eat these plants or their fruits. Thus, the atomic elements that make up a deceased person may eventually end up in other people." The reality of the phenomenon “From land to land” is not as tempting as poets try to imagine. "From dust to dust, they say. It's funny to me. From dust to dust, more like the truth," said William "Tender" Russ.
While Omar Khayyam writes about grass growing from unfamiliar but wondrous lips, poets use the image of the decaying female form to lament human vanity. "Hey, lady - fake breasts, managed to deceive men - you can't fool worms!" - writes Cyril Tournure in “Death Shell”. Even the handsomest and richest men must swell and rot in the grave. The decay of the flesh erases all signs of individuality except differences in bone size and structure.
Seventeenth-century English Puritans preached that a body without a soul would be a nightmare to those who beheld it. Early eighteenth-century epitaphs compare the decomposed body to the resurrected dead and existence in human memory. Corpses are put away because they are unpleasant to the senses and also because they become useless. Mummies author Georges McHag writes that bodies that do not decompose naturally would be a hassle to have around, like old tin cans. Plastic surgeon Robert M. Goldwyn, on the other hand, laments that "My human canvases must dry up until they disappear with me." This is also vanity, but, despite all the complaints, the flesh will dissolve.
Self-mummification of a corpse under the influence of sunlight

BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS
For some people, death means the complete disintegration of the body. In such cases, mourning for the deceased apparently continues parallel to the decomposition of the corpse, until its complete disintegration. In Ancient Greece, it was believed that the rate of decomposition was directly proportional to the social status of the deceased.
The Greek Orthodox Church has stated that only the bodies of those excommunicated do not decompose. Therefore, among the Greek curses there are such as “So that the earth does not take you” and “So that you do not rot.” Roman Catholics believe that only the corpses of saints do not rot.
From a scientific perspective, mummification can occur naturally under the right conditions, but the basic rule is decomposition. Both in a coffin and in one shroud, bodies always become food for worms. Many people order the cremation of their bodies to avoid the normal course of things, while others simply try not to think about it, and yet, the rotting of the body after death, as poets passionately argue, is a challenge to our earthly vanity.
“Dead butterfly on a living flower.” Even a butterfly chooses its place for eternal rest.
Photo

CONCLUSION
So, death is not a popular, widely discussed issue, a topic that people are used to thinking about every day. The very subject of death has an initial uncertainty. As for human remains, the social status of this phenomenon is considered in all civilized countries to be a shameful taboo of society. In 1975 famous follower psychology of death Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote that death is a “terrible and terrible issue”, the discussion of which people avoid in every possible way.
But the last decade has revealed a greater emancipation of death. The skull became a fashionable attribute in clothing, and the planetary youth movement “Emo” appeared, inspired by the symbolism of death. Death has become a radical and fashionable new topic in the media, fodder for endless television programs and newspaper articles.
At the same time, if bereavement, euthanasia, hospices, murders, suicides have firmly occupied the niches of the most discussed information blogs, then human remains, which represent the essence, the material content of the grateful memory of descendants, are still placed outside the bounds of public interests and nothing but disgust , hostility, a feeling of dirt, or something disgusting do not evoke in most people.
I want to hope that intellectuals, highly spiritual, moral people will still loudly declare that denying death is far from harmless phenomenon. After all, this is the same as denying the very fact of the existence of the universe. The Englishman John McMapperson said: “The attitude of people towards the remains of their relatives is crucial for understanding their own purpose on earth, for realizing that each of us must die. Indeed, human destiny is more than the arrival of death and the prolongation of life. After all, the one who came into the world and began to live began to die.
How I would like to quote here a simple rule of ethics: “Make room for others as others have done for you.” I am for humanized death. But, apparently, the vulgar perception of death will live forever. Those who do good in death have the same chances. I wish there were more of the latter. While some cynically argue that the worms that eat the corpses of a loved one will be full, let others find solace in gaining eternal life.

DICTIONARY THANATOPRAKTIKA
ABSORPTION - absorption of a gas or solute by a liquid or solid.
AUTOLYSIS (self-destruction) - self-digestion - the breakdown of cells and tissues of the body under the influence of the hydrolytic enzymes they contain. Post-mortem autolysis - occurs without the participation of microorganisms and is caused by the activation of hydrolytic enzymes under conditions of a shift in the reaction of the medium to the acidic side; refers to early cadaveric phenomena.
AEROBES - microorganisms that can live and develop only in the presence of free oxygen. Some of them are actively involved in the process of decay of a corpse (more complete decomposition of protein molecules and less formation of malodorous substances).
BELOGLAZOV SIGN (the "cat's eye" phenomenon) is one of the signs indicating death. When compressed from the sides eyeball the pupil takes the form of a narrow vertical slit, and with pressure from top to bottom - horizontally elongated. This sign is observed within 10-15 minutes after death.
HEMATOMA (blood tumor) is a limited accumulation of blood in tissues with the formation of a cavity containing liquid blood.
HEMOLYSIS (erythrocytolysis) - destruction of red blood cells with the release of hemoglobin into the plasma.
HEMOPERICARDIUM - accumulation of blood in the cavity of the heart sac (pericardium).
HEMOPNEUMOPERICARDIUM - accumulation of blood and air in the cavity of the heart sac.
HYPEREMIA - an increase in blood supply to any part of the peripheral vascular system (for example, on the skin in the form of redness).
HYPERCAPNIA - increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood or other tissues.
HYPERTROPHY is an enlargement of an organ or part of it due to an increase in the volume or number of cells.
HYPOSTASIS - stagnation of blood in the underlying parts of the body and individual organs. Hypostasis is distinguished between intravital, agonal and postmortem. In forensic medicine, the first stage of the formation of cadaveric spots, caused by the flow of blood downward, due to gravity, with the overflow of blood vessels, especially capillaries. At this stage, the cadaveric spot turns pale when pressed due to the displacement of blood from the vessels, then becomes colored again. Cadaveric spots appear 1.5-2 hours after death, the hypostasis stage lasts 8-15 hours.
ROTATION is the process of breakdown of organic, nitrogen-containing, mainly protein, substances as a result of the activity of microorganisms. In forensic medicine, cadaveric putrefaction refers to late cadaveric phenomena that destroy the dead body. Optimal conditions for decay of a corpse are created at a temperature environment 30-40°C and humidity 60-70%; soft tissues of a corpse can be destroyed in 1-1.5 months.
ROTTEN GASES - substances formed during the rotting of organs and tissues, containing methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ethyl and methyl mercaptan.
DATE OF BURNING OF A CORPSE - the period of time that elapsed from the moment of burial of the corpse until the moment of its examination.
DATE OF DEATH - the period of time elapsed from the moment of cardiac arrest until the moment of examination of the corpse at the place of its discovery or until the moment of examination. The duration of death is determined by the severity of cadaveric changes, using supravital reactions, morphological, histochemical, biochemical, biophysical methods for studying the organs and tissues of a corpse.
DEFORMATION - a change in the size and shape of a body under the influence of an external force (without changing mass); elastic - if it disappears after the cessation of exposure, plastic - if it does not completely disappear. When deformation occurs in the body, a special condition called tension occurs. The highest stress at which the deformation remains elastic is called the elastic limit. The stress at which a body breaks is called tensile strength. Most simple types body deformations: stretching, compression, shear, bending or torsion. In most cases, deformation is a combination of several types of deformations simultaneously. At the same time, any deformation can be reduced to the two simplest ones - tension (or compression) and shear. Deformation is studied using strain gauges, as well as resistance strain gauges, X-ray structural analysis and other methods.
PEAT TANNING is a type of natural preservation of a corpse that occurs when a corpse is found long time in peat soil, where under the influence of humic (humic) acids, soft tissues and organs become compacted and turn brownish-brown. The skin of the corpse becomes dense, brittle, and acquires a dark brown color. Mineral salts in the bones dissolve, as a result of which the latter become soft, resemble cartilage, and are easily cut with a knife.
FAT WAX (corpse wax) is a type of natural preservation of a corpse; a substance into which corpse tissue is converted under conditions of high humidity in the absence or insufficient air content, which is a compound of fatty acids (palmitic and stearic) with salts of alkali and alkaline earth metals (soap).
RETROPERITONEAL HEMATOMA - hemorrhage with the formation of blood accumulation in the tissue of the retroperitoneal space (in posterior section abdominal cavity).
ZONE OF PRIMARY NECROSIS - the central (close to the wound channel) part of the zone of tissue contusion that dies at the time of injury through direct contact with the wounding projectile or accompanying components of the shot.
IMBBITION (absorption, impregnation) is the third stage of the formation of cadaveric spots, developing on the second day. At this stage, cadaveric spots do not turn pale when pressed and do not move. When the tissue is cut, the cadaveric spots are uniformly colored in light purple and lilac colors; drops of blood are not released from the vessels.
PRESERVATION (preservation) of a CORPSE - natural (mummification, peat tanning, fat wax, freezing) or artificial factors (chemical - formaldehyde, alcohol) that prevent the putrefactive decay of the organs and tissues of the corpse.
HEMORRHAGE (hemorrhage, extravasation) - accumulation of blood poured out from the vessels in the tissues and cavities of the body.
BLEEDING - hemorrhage and translucency of accumulated blood in the skin, mucous membrane and underlying tissues due to rupture blood vessels from the impact of a blunt object. Depending on the period of formation, the bruise has a different color, which makes it possible to judge how long ago it formed. Its shape indicates the characteristics of the surface of the traumatic object.
MACERATION (softening, soaking) - swelling, softening and loosening of tissues as a result of prolonged exposure to liquids; maceration of the skin of a corpse is formed under the influence of liquid, often water. First, the stratum corneum of the epidermis loosens in the form of swelling and wrinkling of the skin and its pearly white coloration. With prolonged exposure to water, the macerated layers are torn away from the dermis with nails in the form of “death gloves”.
MUMMIFICATION (to make a mummy) - drying of the tissues of a corpse, creating the possibility of it long-term preservation. M. occurs only with dry air, sufficient ventilation and elevated temperature; is formed in the open air, in a ventilated room and when burying corpses in dry coarse-grained and sandy soils. M.'s intensity also depends on body weight. Corpses with a weakly defined subcutaneous fat layer are more susceptible to this process. With M., the corpse loses all fluid, its weight is 1/10 of the original.
Ossification is a stage of osteogenesis during which mineralization (calcification) of the intercellular substance occurs. There are three stages in the development of the skeleton: connective tissue, cartilaginous and bone. Almost all bones go through these stages, with the exception of the bones of the cranial vault, most bones of the face, etc. The following types of ossification are distinguished: endesmal, perichondral, periosteal, enchondral.
Endesmal - occurs in connective tissue primary bones with the appearance of an island of bone substance (ossification nucleus) and radial distribution (for example, the formation of the parietal bone).
Perichondral - occurs by outer surface cartilaginous rudiments of bone with the participation of the perichondrium. Further deposition bone tissue occurs due to the periosteum - periosteal ossification.
Enchondral - occurs inside the cartilaginous rudiments with the participation of the perichondrium, which releases processes containing blood vessels into the cartilage. Osteoforming tissue destroys cartilage and forms an island - the core of ossification.
The vertebrae, sternum, and epiphyses of the long tubular bones of the extremities ossify enchondrally; perichondral - skull base, diaphysis long bones limbs, etc.
Rigor mortis is an absolute early sign of death; it is a peculiar state of muscle tissue in the form of compaction and shortening of muscles, fixing the corpse in a certain position. It manifests itself in the first 2-4 hours after death simultaneously in all muscle groups, however, as a rule, in a descending manner: first of all, the masticatory muscles become numb, then the muscles of the neck, torso and upper limbs and in last turn - lower limbs. It is detected in all muscle groups 12-18 hours after death, reaching a maximum after 20-24 hours, and persists for several days, after which it resolves. It also develops in smooth muscles. Cataleptic rigor mortis occurs at the moment of death and retains the original position of the corpse (for example, during the destruction medulla oblongata). Rigor mortis makes it possible to judge the duration of death, records the post-mortem position of the deceased, and makes it possible to decide on the issue of moving the corpse and changing its position.
BONE REMAINS - the bones of a corpse remaining after complete or partial decay of soft tissues and organs under the influence of natural processes (rotting, destruction by insects and their larvae, small rodents and large animals, predatory fish, arthropods, birds, etc.). They can be preserved for centuries and are the subject of forensic research.
If O.K. is detected the identity of a missing person is established, i.e. the identity of the deceased is established. For this purpose, determine anatomical features bone remains, their species, gender, age, race, height, structural features of the body based on bones, etc. Sex, age, race are determined by the bones of the skull, pelvis, condition of teeth, other bones, height - by long tubular bones, and it is possible to determine growth from bone fragments. A specific personality is determined by particular characteristics - anomalies anatomical structure, characteristics of the teeth, traces of previous injuries and diseases, etc. Examined damage to the bones can indicate the cause of death. Existing methods for studying bone remains make it possible to determine how long ago the corpse was buried.
Forensic medical examination of bone remains is carried out in the medical and forensic department of the Bureau of Forensic Medicine.
PNEUMOTHORAX (air in the chest) - the penetration of air through a damaged chest wall or from a damaged lung and its accumulation between the pulmonary and parietal pleura, one of the dangerous complications and manifestations of chest trauma. In this case, the lung collapses, the interpleural fissure turns into a cavity.
There are P. complete and partial, one- and two-sided; traumatic, surgical, spontaneous and artificial. Traumatic P. can be open, closed, or valve. When the P. is closed, the air that has entered the pleural cavity soon resolves (300-500 ml of air resolves within 2-3 weeks). With open and valvular P., a severe symptom complex of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, a picture of pleuropulmonary shock leading to the death of the wounded person in the immediate hours after injury if he is not provided with medical assistance.
PTOMAINES (dead body, corpse) - cadaveric poisons, alkaloid-like substances formed during the decay of protein substances. These include: choline, neuridine, trimethylamine, cadaverine, putrescine, sarpin, midalein, midin, midatoxin. It is believed that various P. appear in a corpse during its rotting not simultaneously, but in a certain sequence, which requires the expert to be careful when examining corpses.
CORPSE STAINS - absolute sign of death. They are accumulations of blood in the underlying parts of the body, arising due to gravity, with overflow small vessels, capillaries and blood translucent through the skin, bluish-gray or bluish-purple in color. They usually appear 1.5-2 hours after death.
In its development P.t. go through three stages: hypostasis, stasis and imbibition, which makes it possible to determine the duration of death. In addition, P.t. indicate the position of the body after death, the amount of blood in the corpse; coloring them makes it possible to put forward a certain version of death (for example, poisoning carbon monoxide indicates bright red color P.T.); make it possible to establish the fact of the movement of a corpse, and sometimes to resolve other issues important for the investigation.
POST-DEATH BIRTH - squeezing out the fetus through birth canal from the uterus of the corpse of a pregnant woman with gases formed during decay.
THANATOLOGY (the study of death) is a science that studies the process of dying, death, its causes and manifestations. Forensic T., a branch of thanatology within the competence of forensic doctors, studies all types of violent death and sudden death.
Smoldering is the process of decomposition of proteins with access to air, a small amount of moisture and the predominance of aerobic bacteria, one of the types of rotting. T. undergoes more intense rotting than usual, with more complete oxidation and is accompanied by a relatively small formation of foul-smelling gases.
CORPSE (cadaver) - a dead body of a person (or animal), one of the objects of forensic medical examination; an autopsy is usually performed no earlier than 12 hours after death.
CYANOSIS (dark blue) - bluish coloration of the skin and mucous membranes, caused by the high content of reduced hemoglobin in the blood.
EMPHYSEMA CORPHICAL (bloating) - stretching of the organs and tissues of a corpse as a result of the formation and penetration into loose tissue and subcutaneous tissue of gases formed as a result of decay. The gas pressure in the abdominal cavity can sometimes reach 2 atm.

Sergey YAKUSHIN, President of the Association of Crematoriums and Manufacturers of Cremation Equipment, Publisher of the Funeral Home magazine

From the moment the heart stops, bodies become surprisingly active. And even though the dead will not be able to tell what decomposition is and how this whole process takes place, biologists can do this.

Life after death

The irony is that in order to rot, our bodies must teem with life.

1. Cardiac arrest

The heart stops and the blood thickens. The very moment that doctors call “the time of death.” Once this happens, all other parts of the body begin to die at different rates.

2. Two-tone coloring

The blood, which the “motor” has stopped dispersing through the vessels, accumulates in the veins and arteries. Since it no longer flows, the body takes on a complex coloration. His lower part turns purple-blue, like a juicy black eye after a glorious brawl. The laws of physics are to blame: liquid settles in the lower part of the body due to the effects of gravity. The rest of the skin located at the top will have a deathly pale color because the blood has accumulated elsewhere. The circulatory system no longer works, red blood cells lose hemoglobin, which is responsible for their red color, and gradually discoloration occurs, giving a pale color to the tissues.

3. Deadly cold

Algor mortis is the Latin word for “deadly cold.” Bodies lose their lifetime 36.6°C and slowly adapt to room temperature. The cooling rate is about 0.8°C per hour.

Global Look Press/ZUMAPRESS.com/Danilo Balducci

4. Rigor mortis

Hardening and stiffening of limb muscles occurs several hours after death, when the entire body begins to stiffen due to decreased ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels. Rigor mortis begins in the eyelids and neck muscles. The process of rigor rigor itself is not endless - it stops subsequently when the enzymatic decomposition of muscle tissue begins.

5. Chaotic movements

Yes, the blood has drained and frozen, but bodies are still capable of twitching and bending for several hours after death. Muscle contracts when a person dies, and depending on how many and which muscles contracted during the agony, the body of the deceased may even seem to move.

6. Younger face

As the muscles eventually stop contracting, the wrinkles disappear. Death is a little like Botox. The only trouble is that you are already dead and cannot rejoice in this circumstance.

7. The intestines empty

Although rigor mortis causes the body to freeze, not all organs do so. At the moment of death, our sphincter finally gains freedom, getting rid of total control. When the brain stops regulating involuntary functions, the sphincter begins to do what it wants: it opens, and all the “residues” leave the body.

Global Look Press/imago stock&people/Eibner-Pressefoto

8. Corpses smell great

Corpses are known to smell. Putrid odors- the result of a splash of enzymes, which fungi and bacteria, designed for decomposition processes, perceive as a signal to attack. In the tissues of a corpse there is a mass of everything that allows them to actively reproduce. The “feast” of bacteria and fungi is accompanied by the generation of putrefactive gases with corresponding odors.

9. Animal Invasion

Blowflies literally step on the heels of bacteria and fungi. They are in a hurry to put it aside deceased body their eggs, which then develop into larvae. The larvae cheerfully bite into dead flesh. Later they are joined by ticks, ants, spiders, and then larger scavengers.

10. Farewell sounds

Wild trash from all the doctors and nurses! Bodies will emit gases, creak and groan! All this is the result of a combination of rigor mortis and the vigorous activity of the intestines, which continue to release gas.

11. The intestines are digested

The intestines are filled with a variety of bacteria, which after death do not have to travel far - they immediately attack the intestines. Letting go of control immune system, bacteria are having a riotous feast.

12. Eyes pop out of their sockets

As organs decompose and the intestines produce gases, these gases cause eyes to bulge from their sockets and tongues to swell and fall out of mouths.

"Universal Pictures Rus"

13. Bloated skin

Gases rush upward, gradually separating the skin from the bones and muscles.

14. Rotting

Following the “slipping down” blood, all the cells of the body tend downward under the influence of gravity. The body tissues have already lost their density due to decomposed proteins. Once the putrefaction reaches its apotheosis, the corpses become “sweet” and spongy. In the end, only bones remain.

15. Bones come last

Decades after bacteria, fungi and other organisms have finished off the flesh, the protein in the bones breaks down, leaving behind hydroxyapatite, a bone mineral. But over time it turns to dust.

The dead hear everything

Everything that happens to us beyond the line separating life from death was, is and will remain a mystery for a long time. Hence - a lot of fantasies, sometimes quite scary. Especially if they are somewhat realistic.

A dead woman giving birth is one of these horrors. Several centuries ago, when mortality in Europe was prohibitively high, the number of women who died during pregnancy was also high. All the same gases described above led to the expulsion of an already non-viable fetus from the body. All this is casuistry, but the few cases that occurred are documented, writes the Bigpicture portal.

"UPI"

A relative crouched in a coffin is a quite probable phenomenon, but, to put it mildly, exciting. People in past centuries felt about the same as we do today. It was the fear of witnessing something like this, combined with the hope that the dead person might suddenly come to life, that at one time led to the appearance of “houses of the dead.” When relatives doubted that a person was dead, they left him in a room in such a house with a rope tied to his finger, says Naked-Science. The other end of the rope led to a bell located in the next room. If the deceased “came to life”, the bell rang, and the guard, serving in a chair next to the bell, immediately rushed to the deceased. Most often, the alarm was false - the cause of the ringing was the movement of bones caused by gases or the sudden relaxation of muscles. The deceased left the “house of the dead” when there was no longer any doubt about the processes of decay.

The development of medicine, oddly enough, only aggravates the confusion around the processes of death. Thus, doctors have found that some parts of the body continue to live after death for quite a long time, writes InoSMI. These “long-livers” include heart valves: they contain connective tissue cells that preserve “ good shape"some time after death. Thus, heart valves from a deceased person can be used for transplantation within 36 hours of cardiac arrest.

The cornea lives twice as long. Its usefulness lasts three days after you die. This is explained by the fact that the cornea is in direct contact with air and receives oxygen from it.

This can also explain the “long life path» auditory nerve. The deceased, as doctors say, loses hearing, the last of all his five senses. For another three days the dead hear everything - hence the famous: “About the deceased - everything or nothing but the truth.”