What happens to the body in the coffin? Interesting Facts. The rotting and decomposition of a corpse is the last form of human existence

What happens in the coffin after death

Officially, for the body to completely decompose in a coffin, a period of 15 years is allotted. However, re-burial is allowed after about 11-13 years after the first. It is believed that during this time, both the deceased and his last refuge will finally decompose, and the earth can be reused.

Immediately after death, self-digestion of human internal organs and tissues begins. And with it, after a while, rotting. Before the funeral, the processes are slowed down by embalming or cooling the body to make the person look more presentable. But underground there are no more deterrents. And decomposition destroys the body in full swing. As a result, only bones and chemical compounds remain from it: gases, salts and liquids.

In fact, a corpse is a complex ecosystem. It is a habitat and nutrient medium for a large number of microorganisms. The system develops and grows as its environment decomposes. Immunity is turned off shortly after death - and microbes and microorganisms colonize all tissues and organs. They feed on cadaveric fluids and provoke the further development of decay. Over time, all tissues completely rot or decay, leaving a bare skeleton. But it can soon collapse, leaving only separate, especially strong bones.

What happens in the coffin in a year

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

Skeletonization is the stage of decomposition of the body, when only one skeleton remains from it. What happens to the deceased in the coffin about a year after death. Sometimes there may still be some tendons or especially dense and dry areas of the body. Then the process of mineralization will take place. It can last a very long time - up to 30 years. Everything left from the body of the deceased will have to lose all the "extra" minerals. As a result, nothing remains of a person, a bunch of bones fastened together. The skeleton falls apart as the articular capsules, muscles and tendons that hold the bones together no longer exist. And in this form it can lie for an unlimited amount of time. This makes the bones very brittle.

What happens to the coffin after burial

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

As the corpse decomposes, it loses fluid and slowly turns into a set of substances and minerals. Since a person is 70% water, it needs to go somewhere. She leaves the body by everyone possible ways and seeps through the bottom boards into the ground. This obviously does not prolong the life of the tree, excessive moisture only provokes its decay.

How does a man decompose in a coffin

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

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 closed coffin. Since by this time autolysis and decay will have already massively developed, and the internal organs will slowly begin to collapse. This can lead to putrid emphysema throughout the body, bloody fluid flowing out of the mouth and nose. Now the process can be suspended by embalming the body or keeping it in the refrigerator.

What happens to the corpse in the coffin after the burial is reflected in several different processes. Collectively, they are called decomposition, and this, in turn, is divided into several stages. Decay begins immediately after death. But it begins to appear 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 decay cell membranes and release of enzymes from cellular structures. The most important of these are the cathepsins. This process does not depend on any microorganisms and starts on its own. Internal organs, such as the brain and adrenal medulla, spleen, pancreas, undergo autolysis most quickly, as they contain the largest amount of cathepsin. A little later, all the cells of the body enter the process. This provokes rigor mortis due to exit from interstitial 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 begin to decompose.

In part, autolysis is also facilitated by various bacteria that spread throughout the body from the intestines, feeding on the fluid flowing from decaying cells. They literally "spread" through the body through the blood vessels. First of all, the liver is affected. However, bacteria get to it within the first twenty hours from the moment of death, first contributing to autolysis, and then putrefaction.

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 moisture and temperature.
  • Density of clothing.

It begins with mucous membranes and skin. This process can develop quite early if the soil of the grave is damp, 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 tight clothing also help slow it down.

It is noteworthy that many myths about "groaning corpses" are associated with rotting. This is called vocalization. When a corpse decomposes, a gas is formed, which first of all occupies the cavities. When the body has not yet rotted, it exits through natural openings. When the gas passes through vocal cords, shackled by stiff muscles, the output is a sound. Most often it is a wheeze or something that looks like a groan. Rigor mortis most often passes just in time for the funeral, so 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 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, instead of them, free amino acids remain. It is as a result of their subsequent transformation that a putrid smell arises. At this stage, the process can be accelerated by the growth of mold on the corpse, its settlement with maggots and nematodes. They mechanically destroy tissues, thereby accelerating their decay.

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

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

  • Greening of the corpse (formation in the iliac region of sulfhemoglobin from hydrogen sulfide and hemoglobin).
  • Putrid vascular network (blood that has not left the veins rots, and hemoglobin forms iron sulfide).
  • Cadaveric emphysema (the pressure of the gas produced during putrefaction inflates the corpse. It can twist the pregnant uterus).
  • Glow of a corpse in the dark (production of hydrogen phosphide, occurs in rare cases).

Smoldering

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

For it to flow, it is necessary that the body receives enough oxygen and does not receive a lot of moisture. With it, the production of cadaveric gas stops. The release of carbon dioxide begins.

Another way - mummification or saponification

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

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

In addition, there is artificial mummification by embalming or other chemical processing, which can stop the decomposition.

Zhirosk 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 decay and smoldering. In this case, the body begins to saponify (otherwise it is called anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis). The main component of the fat wax is ammonia soap. All subcutaneous fat, muscles, skin, mammary glands and brain turn into it. Everything else either does not change (bones, nails, hair), or rots.



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

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

Officially, for the body to completely decompose in a coffin, a period of 15 years is allotted. However, re-burial is allowed after about 11-13 years after the first. It is believed that during this time, both the deceased and his last refuge will finally decompose, and the earth can be reused. Most often, this period is enough for the almost complete disappearance of the corpse. The post-mortem mechanisms of the body, including partly the study of how the body decomposes in the coffin, are engaged in thanatology and forensic medicine.

Immediately after death, self-digestion of human internal organs and tissues begins. And with it, after a while, rotting. Before the funeral, the processes are slowed down by embalming or cooling the body to make the person look more presentable. But underground there are no more deterrents. And decomposition destroys the body in full swing. As a result, only bones and chemical compounds remain from it: gases, salts and liquids.

In fact, a corpse is a complex ecosystem. It is a habitat and nutrient medium for a large number of microorganisms. The system develops and grows as its environment decomposes. Immunity is turned off shortly after death - and microbes and microorganisms colonize all tissues and organs. They feed on cadaveric fluids and provoke the further development of decay. Over time, all tissues completely rot or decay, leaving a bare skeleton. But it can soon collapse, leaving only separate, especially strong bones.

What happens in the coffin in a year

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

Skeletonization is the stage of decomposition of the body, when only one skeleton remains from it. What happens to the deceased in the coffin about a year after death. Sometimes there may still be some tendons or especially dense and dry areas of the body. Then the process of mineralization will take place. It can last a very long time - up to 30 years. Everything left from the body of the deceased will have to lose all the "extra" minerals. As a result, nothing remains of a person, a bunch of bones fastened together. The skeleton falls apart as the articular capsules, muscles and tendons that hold the bones together no longer exist. And in this form it can lie for an unlimited amount of time. This makes the bones very brittle.

What happens to the coffin after burial

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

As the corpse decomposes, it loses fluid and slowly turns into a set 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 prolong the life of the tree, excessive moisture only provokes its decay.

How does a man decompose in a coffin

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

Most often, the coffin with the deceased is buried after three days from the date 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. Since by this time autolysis and decay will have already massively developed, and the internal organs will slowly begin to collapse. This can lead to putrid emphysema throughout the body, bloody fluid flowing out of the mouth and nose. Now the process can be suspended by embalming the body or keeping it in the refrigerator.

What happens to the corpse in the coffin after the burial is reflected in several different processes. Collectively, they are called decomposition, and this, in turn, is divided into several stages. Decay begins immediately after death. But it begins to appear 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 the cathepsins. This process does not depend on any microorganisms and starts on its own. Internal organs, such as the brain and adrenal medulla, spleen, pancreas, undergo autolysis most quickly, as they contain the largest amount of cathepsin. A little later, all the cells of the body enter the process. This provokes rigor mortis due to the release of calcium from the interstitial fluid and its combination 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 begin to decompose.

In part, autolysis is also facilitated by various bacteria that spread throughout the body from the intestines, feeding on the fluid flowing from decaying cells. They literally "spread" through the body through the blood vessels. First of all, the liver is affected. However, bacteria get to it within the first twenty hours from the moment of death, first contributing to autolysis, and then putrefaction.

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 moisture 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 damp, 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 tight clothing also slow it down.

It is noteworthy that many myths about "groaning corpses" are associated with rotting. This is called vocalization. When a corpse decomposes, a gas is formed, which first of all occupies the cavities. When the body has not yet rotted, it exits through natural openings. When the gas passes through the vocal cords, which are bound by stiff muscles, the output is sound. Most often it is a wheeze or something that looks like a groan. Rigor mortis most often passes just in time for the funeral, so 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 microbial proteases and dead cells of the body. Proteins begin to break down gradually, to polypeptides and below. At the output, instead of them, free amino acids remain. It is as a result of their subsequent transformation that a putrid smell arises. At this stage, the process can be accelerated by the growth of mold on the corpse, its settlement with maggots and nematodes. They mechanically destroy tissues, thereby accelerating their decay.

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

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

  • Greening of the corpse (formation in the iliac region of sulfhemoglobin from hydrogen sulfide and hemoglobin).
  • Putrid vascular network (blood that has not left the veins rots, and hemoglobin forms iron sulfide).
  • Cadaveric emphysema (the pressure of the gas produced during putrefaction inflates the corpse. It can twist the pregnant uterus).
  • Glow of a corpse in the dark (production of hydrogen phosphide, occurs in rare cases).

Smoldering

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

For it to flow, it is necessary that the body receives enough oxygen and does not receive a lot of moisture. With it, the production of cadaveric gas stops. The release of carbon dioxide begins.

Another way - mummification or saponification

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

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

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

Zhirosk 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 decay and smoldering. In this case, the body begins to saponify (otherwise it is called anaerobic bacterial hydrolysis). The main component of the fat wax is ammonia soap. All subcutaneous fat, muscles, skin, mammary glands and brain turn into it. Everything else either does not change (bones, nails, hair), or rots.

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Stages of corpse decomposition The 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 stiffens almost immediately due to lack of circulation. The eyes acquire a glassy sheen and the body temperature begins to drop gradually due to the drop in oxygen levels. 1 to 9 minutes The blood coagulates and gives the skin a reddish-blue tint. Muscles relax, resulting 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 state 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. 1 to 8 hours Muscles become stiff and hair grows. Rigor mortis occurs due to lactic acid in the muscles. Stiffened, they press on 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. 1 to 5 days Rigor has passed. The body is again soft and plastic. Funeral service workers use this time to prepare the deceased for the funeral. Dress, put on shoes, make up and fold your arms over your chest. But you need to bury it as soon as possible. Indeed, very soon (from 24 to 72 hours), microbes begin to corrode the pancreas and stomach. This process leads to liquefaction of the internal organs. After 3-5 days in the process of decomposition, the body is 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 possible that bloody foam will ooze from his mouth and nose. 8 to 10 days Bacteria living in the intestines feed on dead tissue and produce gases. The body swells and emits fetid 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 out all the remaining feces and liquids. The body changes its color from red to green as the red blood cells begin to decompose. 2 weeks Hair and nails are separated from the body with little or no effort. The condition of the skin makes it difficult to move the body. It can slip off the decaying muscles like a glove and lie somewhere nearby. The only way to identify a body is by its teeth. But even if they fell out, they most likely did not fly far from the body. 1 month Subject to conditions environment, the skin either decomposes or dries up. And here comes the blowfly. Often the time of death is determined precisely by the life of this insect. After the fly has completed its work 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 by 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 state, then it is quite possible that it has preserved facial features and the identity can be established. Year If the body all this time was in the bosom of nature, then predators most likely have already eaten its bones. Vultures, raccoons, wolves and other carrion lovers are unlikely to have left anything that could shed light on both the identity of the deceased and 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 get a special dental record in order to facilitate the work of our valiant criminologists. Yes, just in case. Everything happens in life

A funeral is a place where the spirit of the deceased is present, where the living and the afterlife come into contact. At the funeral, you should be extremely circumspect and careful. No wonder they say that pregnant women should not go to funerals. It is easy to drag an unborn soul into the afterlife.

The funeral.
According to Christian rules, the deceased should be buried in a coffin. In it, he will rest (be stored) until the next resurrection. The grave of the deceased must be kept clean, respectful and tidy. After all, even the Mother of God was placed in a coffin, and the coffin was left in the grave until the day when the Lord called His Mother to Himself.

The clothes in which a person died should not be given either to one's own or to strangers. Basically they burn it. If relatives are against this and want to wash clothes and lay them down, then this is their right. But it should be remembered that these clothes are by no means worn for 40 days.

WARNING: FUNERAL...

The cemetery is one of the dangerous places, this place is often damaged.

And often it happens unconsciously.
Magicians recommend keeping in mind a few practical tips and warnings, then you will be reliably protected

  • A woman came to a healer and said that after she threw out the bed of the deceased (sister) on the advice of a neighbor, serious problems began in her family. She shouldn't have done that.

  • If you see the deceased in a coffin, do not automatically touch your body - tumors may appear that will be difficult to cure.

  • If you meet someone you know at a funeral, greet them with a nod of your head, not a touch or a handshake.

  • While there is a dead person in the house, you should not wash the floors and sweep them, you can thus call trouble on the whole family.

  • Some recommend putting needles crosswise on his lips to save the body of the deceased. It won't help save the body. But these needles can fall into bad hands and will be used to induce damage. It is better to put a bunch of sage grass in the coffin.

  • For candles, you need to use any new candlesticks. It is especially not recommended to use the dishes from which you eat, even used empty canning jars, for funeral candles. It is better to buy new ones, and after using them, get rid of them.

  • Never put photographs in the coffin. If you follow the advice, “so that he himself is not” and bury a photo of the whole family with the deceased, then soon all the captured relatives run the risk of following the deceased.

source

FUNERAL SIGNS AND RITUALS.

Many beliefs and rituals are associated with the death and subsequent burial of the dead. Some of them have survived to this day. But do we suspect their true meaning?
According to Christian custom, the dead man should lie in the grave with his head to the west and his feet to the east. So, according to legend, the body of Christ was buried.
Even in relatively recent times, there was the concept of a "Christian" death. It meant obligatory repentance before death. In addition, cemeteries were arranged at church parishes. That is, only members of this parish could be buried in such a churchyard.

If a person died "without repentance" - say, took his own life, became a victim of murder or an accident, or simply did not belong to a particular parish, then a special burial procedure was often established for such deceased. For example, in large cities they were buried twice a year, on the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin and on the seventh Thursday after Easter. Special places called Wretched Houses, pitiful, buffaloes, pustules or skulnitsy . There they set up a barn and arranged a huge common grave in it. The bodies of those who died a sudden or violent death were brought here - of course, provided that there was no one who could take care of their burial. And at that time, when there was no telephone, telegraph and other means of communication, the death of a person on the road could mean that relatives would never hear about him again. As for the wanderers, the beggars, the executed, they automatically fell into the category of "clients" of the Wretched Houses. Suicides and robbers were also sent here.
During the reign of Peter the Great, anatomized corpses from hospitals began to be brought to skudelnitsa. By the way, both illegitimate and orphans from the shelters kept at the Wretched Houses were buried there - such was the practice then ... The guard guarded the dead, called "Holy man" .
In Moscow, there were several similar "depositories": for example, at the Church of John the Warrior, on the street, which was called Bozhedomkoy , at the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God on Mogiltsy and at the Intercession Monastery on Wretched Houses. On the appointed days, a religious procession with a memorial service was held here. The burial of "those who died without repentance" was carried out at the expense of pilgrims.
Such a nightmarish practice was stopped only at the end of the 18th century, after Moscow was subjected to a plague epidemic and there was a danger of infection spreading through unburied corpses ... Cemeteries appeared in the cities, and the burial order at church parishes was abolished. There were also many customs, signs and rituals, concerning the farewell of the deceased on his last journey. Among the Russian peasants, the deceased was laid on a bench, with his head in "red corner" , where the icons hung, covered with a white canvas (shroud), folded their hands on their chest, while the dead man had to “keep” in right hand white handkerchief. All this was done so that he could appear before God in a proper form. It was believed that if the dead man's eyes remain open, then supposedly this is for the imminent death of one of his relatives. Therefore, they always tried to close the eyes of the dead - in the old days, copper nickels were placed on them for this.
While the body was in the house, a knife was thrown into a tub of water - this allegedly prevented the spirit of the deceased from entering the room. Until the very funeral, they did not lend anything to anyone - not even salt. held tight closed windows and doors. While the dead man was in the house, pregnant women could not cross his threshold - this could have a bad effect on the child ... It was customary to close the mirrors in the house so that the dead man would not be reflected in them ...
It was supposed to put underwear, a belt, a hat, bast shoes and small coins in the coffin. It was believed that things could be useful to the deceased in the next world, and the money would serve as payment for transportation to the kingdom of the dead ... True, in early XIX in. this custom took on a different meaning. If during the funeral they accidentally dug up a coffin with previously buried remains, then it was supposed to throw money into the grave - a “contribution” for a new “neighbor”. If a child died, they always put a belt on him so that he could collect fruits in his bosom in the Garden of Eden ...
When the coffin was taken out, it was supposed to touch the threshold of the hut and the hallway three times in order to receive a blessing from the deceased. At the same time, some old woman showered the coffin and those accompanying with grains. If the head of the family - the owner or mistress - died, then all the gates and doors in the house were tied with a red thread - so that the household would not leave after the owner.

They buried on the third day, when the soul had to finally fly away from the body. This custom has been preserved even now, as well as the one that orders all those present to throw a handful of earth on the coffin lowered into the grave. The earth is a symbol of purification, in ancient times it was believed that it accepts all the filth that a person has accumulated in his life. In addition, among the pagans, this rite restored the connection of the newly deceased with the whole family.
In Russia, it has long been believed that if it rains during the funeral, the soul of the deceased will fly safely to heaven. Like, if the rain cries for the dead, then he was a good man
Modern commemoration was once called a feast. It was a special ritual designed to facilitate the transition to another world. For the feast, special funeral dishes were prepared. Kutya, which is a steeply boiled rice with raisins. Kutia is supposed to be treated at the cemetery immediately after burial. Russian commemoration also cannot do without pancakes - pagan symbols of the Sun.
And today, during the commemoration, they put on the table a glass of vodka, covered with a crust of bread - for the deceased. There is also a belief: if some food fell from the table at the commemoration, then it cannot be picked up - this is a sin.
On the forties, honey and water were placed in front of the icons - so that the life of the deceased in the next world would be sweeter. Sometimes a arshin-long staircase was baked from wheat flour - to help the deceased ascend to heaven ... Alas, now this custom is no longer observed.

The world is changing, and so are we. Many return to the Christian faith for consolation and hope. It has become customary to celebrate Christian holidays.
Christmas, Epiphany, the Holy Trinity, Parental Days... However, either through ignorance or for other reasons, old traditions are often replaced by new ones.

Unfortunately, there are no issues today that are more shrouded in all sorts of conjectures and prejudices than issues related to the burial of the dead and their commemoration.
What will the omniscient old women not say!

But there is the corresponding Orthodox literature, which is not difficult to acquire. For example, in all Orthodox parishes of our city,
brochure "Orthodox commemoration of the dead", in which you can find answers to many questions.
The main thing that we SHOULD understand is that deceased loved ones first of all need
in prayers for them. Thank God, in our time there is a place to pray. In each district,
Orthodox parishes were opened, new churches were being built.

Here is what is said about the memorial meal in the brochure "Orthodox commemoration
deceased:

AT Orthodox tradition eating food is the continuation of worship. Since early Christian times, relatives and acquaintances of the deceased have gathered together on special days of commemoration in order to ask the Lord in joint prayer for a better fate for the soul of the deceased in the afterlife.

After visiting the church and the cemetery, the relatives of the deceased arranged a memorial meal, to which not only relatives were invited, but mainly the needy: the poor and the needy.
That is, a commemoration is a kind of almsgiving for those who have gathered.

The first course is kutya - boiled wheat grains with honey or boiled rice with raisins, which are consecrated at a memorial service in the temple

There should be no alcohol on the memorial table. The custom of drinking alcohol is an echo of pagan feasts.
Firstly, Orthodox commemoration is not only (and not the main thing) food, but also prayer, and prayer and a drunken mind are incompatible things.
Secondly, on the days of commemoration, we intercede before the Lord for the improvement of the afterlife of the deceased, for the forgiveness of his earthly sins. But will the Chief Justice listen to the words of drunk intercessors?
Thirdly, "drinking is the joy of the soul." And after drinking a glass, our mind dissipates, switches to other topics, grief for the deceased leaves our hearts, and quite often it happens that by the end of the commemoration, many people forget why they have gathered - the commemoration ends with the usual feast with a discussion of everyday problems and political news, and sometimes worldly songs.

And at this time, the languishing soul of the deceased waits in vain for prayer support from their loved ones, And for this sin of mercilessness towards the deceased, the Lord will exact from them at His judgment. What, in comparison with this, is the condemnation from the neighbors for the lack of alcohol on the memorial table?

Instead of the common atheistic phrase "Let the earth rest in peace to him," pray briefly:
“God rest, Lord, the soul of Your newly-departed servant (name), and forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of Heaven.”
This prayer must be performed before proceeding to the next dish.

There is no need to remove the forks from the table - there is no point in this.

There is no need to put a cutlery in honor of the deceased, or even worse - to put vodka in a glass with a piece of bread in front of the portrait. All this is the sin of paganism.

Especially a lot of gossip is caused by the curtain of mirrors, supposedly in order to avoid the reflection of the coffin with the deceased in them and thereby protect themselves from the appearance of another deceased in the house. The absurdity of this opinion is that the coffin can be reflected in any shiny object, but you cannot cover everything in the house.

But the main thing is that our life and death does not depend on any signs, but is in the hands of God.

If the commemoration takes place on fast days, then the food should be fast.

If the commemoration fell on the time of Great Lent, then there are no commemorations on weekdays. They are transferred to the next (forward) Saturday or Sunday ...
If the memorial days fell on the 1st, 4th and 7th weeks of Great Lent (the strictest weeks), then the closest relatives are invited to the commemoration.

Memorial days that fell on Bright Week (the first week after Easter) and on Monday of the second Easter week are transferred to Radonitsa - Tuesday of the second week after Easter (Parents' Day).

Wake on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days are arranged for relatives, relatives, friends and acquaintances of the deceased. At such a commemoration, in order to honor the deceased, you can come without an invitation. On other days of commemoration, only the closest relatives gather.
It is useful these days to distribute alms to the poor and needy.

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

ETHICAL ATTITUDE TO A DEAD BODY
One way or another, but the main result in the history of mankind is that in all ages people tried to get rid of the dead body as soon as possible. Firstly, people were driven by a sense of their own security - even in ancient times it became clear that a dead body could be dangerous for the living. Secondly, people could not afford, did not want to watch the rapid decay that destroyed 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 a loving husband, wife or mother did not want to part with the dearly deceased, they delayed the burial for a month or more. But the stench, the unsightly sight, common sense urged to perform the deplorable act of burial.
In Western culture, there is an attitude of denial and neglect in relation to dying and death. In particular, modern culture highly values ​​new, shiny, and useful things, while devaluing old, worn, and unusable things. And therefore, the value of a human corpse is often low, because the corpse symbolizes death, disgusting our materialistically superficial culture, which tries to avoid all seeing and knowing it. In addition, the body of a dead person is a psychological and ethical paradox for people, since the living is always attractive, and 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 a carefully crafted system of protective measures to help us cope with this situation.
However, respect for the dead is deeply rooted in human nature, no matter how much we show our disdain, apathy, or even disgust. We call for ethical or respectful treatment of the dead. This attitude was even among our distant ancestors - the Neanderthals.
Anthropological studies prove that the burial of human bodies is more ancient than all religious rites, a practice that was used about 60 thousand years BC. In the Shandiar cave in Iraq, researchers found corpses adorned with elk antlers and shoulder blades. Flower pollen was found, which was probably used as an offering to the deceased and concealed an unpleasant odor during the funeral ritual. Primary behavioral characteristics of our natural and instinctive urge to treat the dead with great reverence have been found among Neanderthals. This genetically and instinctively conditioned tradition continues to this day, ennobled by our modern culture and intellect.
From a review of the history of mankind, it becomes clear that the neglect of the dead is clearly the fundamental cause of the decline of the state and social order. History shows us that the eventual disappearance of many civilizations was foreshadowed by an increase in indifference to caring for their dead. Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece and Nazi Germany are examples of such civilizations. When examining the fall of these mighty empires, it is found that the lack of due regard for the dead was widespread. Historical chronicles say that the observance of rites, rituals and mourning ceremonies for the dead serves as great example perfection of some past cultures.
The eminent British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone (1809-1898) spoke succinctly about the ethical, moral and sociological consequences of neglecting the care of the dead:
“Show me the way in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical precision the degree of mercy of this people, their attitude to the laws of the state and their devotion to the highest ideals.”
This eloquent quote contains a deep moral truth, and funeral service professionals often cite it as a quote. But no matter how many times these words are mentioned, their impact on our profession, society and humanity as a whole will never dry up.
A common type of burial in the islands of colonial England. The messenger of the world of the dead is dressed in a shroud of a half-monk - the vestment of a half-pharaoh. A young man climbed a tree in fear, giving way to an agent of death

INFECTIOUS HAZARD
The rotting of the body begins immediately after death. The body becomes the host of many organisms. The tissues and fluids inside the body change color and texture, and separate from the bones over time. Although putrefaction is a natural process, decomposition produces odors that cause general disgust and fear of infection. The body must return to the ground or burn in the fire. Today, more than half of humanity prefers the fiery method of getting rid of a dead body. In some cultures, death is not considered final until the body is completely gone. Disintegration 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 complete preservation. However, in most cases, only intentional mummification will save human remains from turning to dust.
The fear of being infected by the dead is as strong today as it was in ancient Greece. The miasma emitted by a decaying corpse is believed to pollute the earth and air. The ancient Romans and nineteenth-century graveyard reformers advocated that the dead should be buried 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 grave-digger who was digging a grave in the cemetery of Montmorency touched with his shovel a corpse buried a year ago. Foul-smelling 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 Sainte-Saturnin in Saly. During earthworks, a pre-existing grave was opened, from which such a vile stench escaped that everyone who was at that time in the church was forced to leave it. One hundred and fourteen of the 120 children preparing for the first communion became seriously ill, and 18 of those 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 get Oakes out of the pit.
As people began to better understand the disease, deaths began to be attributed to cholera or plague, which were transmitted from the dead. Those who worked with corpses soon learned to take precautions, and embalming, as a sanitary measure, became increasingly popular. 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 put in a coffin. The coffin was filled with sulfuric acid and mercury perchloride, lowered down the river and buried in a very deep grave.
There are thousands of such fatal examples, they are found in all countries, described on all continents. While embalmers still protect themselves and the public from infectious corpses, the fumes of the dead continue to haunt the living.
Type of burial among the natives of Australia - a typical Asian way of leaving a corpse to be eaten by birds - vultures in the Towers of Silence (India) and on trees (Australia)

PHASES OF DECOMPOSITION
The smells 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 from a slap. The smell of human remains is more repulsive than any other sensory experience. People who meet him for the first time say that their nose stopped smelling only after a few weeks and even years later, just remembering this smell causes him to smell it in full force. Pathologist F. Gonzales-Crussi remarks: "Wash a decaying corpse in sweet-smelling perfume, but it will still stink of rotten carrion even on a bed strewn with roses." Some try to mask the smell with cigars, coffee, or menthol ointment, which they apply under their noses.
Those who work in the emergency room, like pathologists, are well acquainted with the smells of death and classify the dead into three categories: fresh, mature and overripe. All medical students in anatomy theater know 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 serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's, told reporters she often complained to the manager about the smell: "It soaked my clothes and I couldn't get rid of it, even after a bath. How could we assume 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 become a skeleton over time. Numerous chemical changes take place within a dead body, one of which is the hydrolysis and hydrogenation of fats, a process by which muscles, viscera, and adipose tissue are replaced by a light, soapy, waxy substance called fat wax. The smell of this substance has a special power.
Funeral chulpa (chulpa) had the shape triangular pyramid. They assembled a pyramid of unfired bricks. Sometimes the chulpa was built in the form of an obelisk. Spread among the nations 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 a hole 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 putrefaction of bodies, which can be divided into four stages according to the state of the corpse: fresh, bloated, decomposing, and dry. From practice it is known that one week in the air is equal to two weeks in the water and eight weeks in the ground. Most fast way decomposition of the remains - cremation, which reduces the decay of tissues to one hour.
If the body is exposed to heat, or if the person had an elevated temperature at the time of death, decomposition will proceed more rapidly. High temperatures accelerate autolysis - the destruction of tissues by the body's natural enzymes. The body, left to the will of the elements in winter, quickly decomposes 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. Thin people and those who die suddenly in full health decompose more slowly than others. Deep burial also inhibits decomposition. Bodies buried at a depth of one and a half meters take many years to turn into a skeleton. Embalmed bodies may decompose more slowly during the first six months, depending on the amount of adipose tissue. Embalming can slow down the activity of the larvae and the disintegration of the body into pieces.
Two graves of Mr. Bech and Captain Inn in the English colony in Malaysia. Trying to imitate the burial tradition of England, the aborigines wove tomb baskets symbolizing the universe and laid out a tombstone from bamboo

ASSOCIATED FACTORS
Like embalming, quicklime (which many say shrinks the body even faster) is a preservative. The lime reacts with body fat to form a hard soap that is resistant to insects and bacteria and slows down decay. Different parts of the body can decompose at different rates. In soil with high natural acidity, bones are poorly preserved, but some organic remains may be preserved. In basic soils, organic remains decompose quickly, but bones are preserved. Body parts that are more resistant to decay than other parts include bones, teeth, cartilage, hair, and nails. female uterus, very solid and compact muscular organ, is considered the most resistant to decomposition organ of the human body.
In hot, dry climates, the body may mummify in some places and decompose in others, especially where its parts are pressed against each other or located in a cramped place from which the liquid cannot easily evaporate.
The decay of the body is often aided by insects if they have access to it. Folklore abounds with descriptions of worms devouring our earthly remains, as in the following two versions of a popular English ditty:
1. When a coffin is being driven down the street towards
Don't you think that kaput will come to me too?
Put on a wooden shirt
They will lower it into a hole and fall asleep to the eyeballs.
And in the skull countless worms will live
And they will roam back and forth -
Fuit-fuit-fuit.
2. When a dead person is being carried along the street
You think, alas, kaput will come to me
Covered with a shroud and buried deep
And I will become food for worms and a hole.
They will eat and spit out my insides
And they will roam back and forth - hoho-hoho-hoho.

The physical fate of the body after death is a good reason for living modesty, since flies are not very particular about the bodies in which they lay their eggs. Outdoors, they lay thousands of eggs in the nose, mouth, ears, and any damaged areas. In hot climates, the larvae can strip a corpse to the bone in about 10 days to two weeks. Even in cold climates, the 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 the modern funeral service omits the Bible verse from the Book of Job that talks about worms eating the human body. "They say such things sound disgusting. They really are disgusting. But people need it when they look down at the grave ground."
Worms serve as a reminder of the mortality of our kind, and both help and hinder forensic anthropologists who study them to determine the time of death and then have to search around for its cause. For serial killer Dennis Nilson, the flies served as a reminder of the victims he placed under the floorboards. Twice a day he sprayed his apartment to kill the flies that flew out of the decaying flesh of the dead. Although screwworm larvae are most often associated with the dead, the Wall Street Journal writes that the humpback fly (humpback) is most often found in mausoleums and crypts. Such flies lay their eggs on the body before burial or inside the coffin. If adults cannot squeeze into the coffin through a hermetically sealed gap, they lay their eggs along the cracks so that the offspring can enter through it after they hatch 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 can become prey for even more types of insects, including several types of flies and beetles.
The Mummies Museum in Guanajuato, which has more than a hundred mummified bodies in its collection, clearly testifies to the unusual attitude of local residents to death. The mummies exhibited in the glass cases of the museum are quite well preserved. Unlike the Egyptian mummies, the Mexican mummies were the result of severe dehydration of the bodies, rather than intentional 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.

CORSE RECYCLING
Despite its extreme unattractiveness, being eaten by insects is just one way to recycle corpses. The corpse as fertilizer is a topic that many poems are devoted to and which was 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 for this purpose were collected in necropolises. Nineteenth century economists saw more value in cremation than in burial, knowing that ashes were excellent fertilizer.
Others demanded that cemeteries be turned into crop farms. "The wonderful flowers that bloom here / fertilized by Gerty 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 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 dead person may eventually end up in other people. " The reality of the phenomenon "From earth to earth" is not as tempting as poets try to present it. "From dust to dust, they say. It's funny to me. From dirt to dirt, more like the truth," said William Russ, nicknamed "Gentle."
While Omar Khayyam writes about grass growing from unfamiliar but wonderful lips, poets use the image of collapsing female forms to complain about human vanity. "Hey, lady - false breasts, managed to deceive men - worms can not be deceived!" writes Cyril Tournure in The Shell of Death. Even the most beautiful and richest men must swell and rot in the grave. The decay of the flesh erases all signs of individuality, except for the difference in bone size and structure.
The English Puritans of the seventeenth century preached that a body without a soul would be a nightmare to those who behold it. Epitaphs from the early eighteenth century compare the decomposed body to the resurrected dead and existence in human memory. The corpses are put away because they are unpleasant to the senses, and also because they become useless. Mummy author Georges McHag writes that bodies that do not naturally decompose would be troublesome to have in the immediate environment, just like old ones. cans. Plastic surgeon Robert M. Goldwyn, on the other hand, laments that "My human canvases must dry out with me." This is also vanity, but despite all the lamentations, the flesh will dissolve.
Self-mummification of a corpse under the action of sunlight

BELIEF AND SUPERSTITION
For some people, death means the complete disintegration of the body. In such cases, mourning for the deceased, apparently, continues in parallel with the decomposition of the corpse, until its complete disintegration. AT Ancient Greece believed that the rate of decomposition is directly proportional to the social status of the deceased.
Greek Orthodox Church declared that only the bodies of those who were excommunicated did 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.
Scientifically, mummification can occur naturally under the right conditions, but the basic rule is decomposition. And in the coffin, and in the same shroud, the bodies always become food for worms. Many people order the cremation of their bodies to avoid the usual course of things, while others simply try not to think about it, and still, the rotting of the body after death, as the poets passionately argue, is a challenge to our earthly vanity.
"A dead butterfly on a living flower." Even a butterfly chooses a place for its eternal rest.
A 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 the human remains, the public status of this phenomenon in all civilized countries belongs to the shameful taboos of society. In 1975, noted death psychologist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote that death is a "terrible and terrible question" that people avoid in every possible way.
But the last decade has revealed a greater emancipation of death. The skull became a fashionable attribute in clothes, the planetary youth movement "Emo" appeared, inspired by the symbolism of death. Death has become the new radical and fashionable theme of the media mass media, food for endless TV 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 are the essence, the material content of the grateful memory of descendants, are still taken out of the public interest and nothing but disgust , hostility, feelings of dirt, something disgusting in most people do not cause.
I want to hope that intellectuals, highly spiritual, moral people will still loudly declare that the denial of death is far from a harmless phenomenon. After all, it's like denying the very fact of the existence of the universe. The Englishman John McMapperson said: “People's attitude towards the remains of their relatives is of decisive importance for understanding their own destiny on earth, for realizing that each of us must die. Indeed, human destiny is something more than the coming of death and the prolongation of life. After all, the one who came into the world and began to live, he began to die.
How I would like to quote here a simple rule of ethics: "Give way to others just 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 to 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.

GLOSSARY TANATOPRACTICS
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 contained in them. Postmortem autolysis - occurs without the participation of microorganisms and is due to the activation of hydrolytic enzymes under conditions of a shift in the reaction of the environment to the acid side; belongs to the early cadaveric phenomena.
AEROBES are microorganisms that can live and develop only in the presence of free oxygen. Some of them are actively involved in the process of putrefaction of a corpse (more complete decomposition of protein molecules and less formation of malodorous substances).
WHITE-EYED SIGN (phenomenon " cat eye") - one of the signs indicating the onset of death. When squeezed 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 already 10-15 minutes after the onset of death.
HEMATOMA (blood tumor) - a limited accumulation of blood in tissues with the formation of a cavity in them containing liquid blood.
HEMOLYSIS (erythrocytolysis) - the 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 - an increased amount of carbon dioxide in the blood or other tissues.
HYPERTROPHY - an increase in 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. There are intravital hypostasis, agonal and post-mortem hypostasis. AT forensic medicine- the first stage of the formation of cadaveric spots, due to the flow of blood down, due to gravity, with overflow of blood vessels, especially capillaries. At this stage, the cadaveric stain turns pale when pressed due to the expulsion of blood from the vessels, then re-stains. Corpse spots appear 1.5-2 hours after death, the stage of hypostasis lasts 8-15 hours.
ROTTENING - the process of splitting organic, nitrogen-containing, mainly protein, substances as a result of the vital activity of microorganisms. In forensic medicine, cadaveric decay refers to late cadaveric phenomena that destroy a dead body. Optimal conditions for rotting a corpse, they are created at an ambient temperature of 30-40 ° C and a humidity of 60-70%; the soft tissues of a corpse can collapse in 1-1.5 months.
Putrid gases - substances formed during the decay of organs and tissues, containing methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ethyl and methyl mercaptan.
RECEPTION OF THE BURNING OF THE CORSE - the period of time that has elapsed from the moment of burial of the corpse to the moment of its study.
TIME 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 research. The prescription of the onset of death is determined by the severity of cadaveric changes, with the help of supravital reactions, morphological, histochemical, biochemical, biophysical methods for examining the organs and tissues of the corpse.
DEFORMATION - a change in the size and shape of a body under the influence of an external force (without a change in mass); elastic - if it disappears after the cessation of exposure, plastic - if it does not completely disappear. When a body is deformed, special condition called voltage. The highest stress at which the deformation remains elastic is called the elastic limit. The stress at which the body collapses is called the tensile strength. Most simple views body deformations: stretching, compression, shear, bending or torsion. In most cases, the deformation is a combination of several types of deformations at the same time. At the same time, any deformation can be reduced to the two simplest ones - tension (or compression) and shear. Deformation is examined using strain gauges, as well as resistance strain gauges, X-ray structural analysis, and other methods.
PEAT tanning - a type of natural preservation of a corpse that occurs when the body of a corpse is in peat soil for a long time, where, under the influence of humic (humic) acids, soft tissues and organs are compacted and stained brown. The skin of the corpse becomes dense, brittle, acquires a dark brown color. Mineral salts dissolve in the bones, as a result of which the latter become soft, resemble cartilage, and are easily cut with a knife.
FATWAX (corpse wax) - a type of natural preservation of a corpse; a substance into which the tissues of a corpse turn under conditions of high humidity in the absence or insufficient air content, which is a compound fatty acids(palmitic and stearic) with salts of alkali and alkaline earth metals (soap).
RETROPERITONEAL HEMATOMA - hemorrhage with the formation of accumulation of blood in the tissue of the retroperitoneal space (in the posterior abdominal cavity).
ZONE OF PRIMARY NECROSIS - the central (close to the wound channel) part of the zone of contusion of tissues that die at the time of injury in direct contact with the injuring projectile or related components of the shot.
IMBIBITION (absorption, soaking) - 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, cadaveric spots are evenly colored in light purple and lilac colors, no drops of blood stand out from the vessels.
CORSE PRESERVATION (preservation) - natural (mummification, peat tanning, fat wax, freezing) or artificial factors (chemical - formalin, alcohol) that prevent the putrefactive decay of organs and tissues of the corpse.
HEMORRHAGE (hemorrhage, extravasation) - the accumulation of blood that has poured out of the vessels in the tissues and cavities of the body.
BRUISED - hemorrhage and translucence 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 the prescription of its formation. Its shape indicates the features 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 action of a liquid, often water. First, the stratum corneum of the epidermis is loosened 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 off from the dermis with nails in the form of "death gloves".
MUMIFICATION (make a mummy) - drying of the tissues of a corpse, creating the possibility of its long-term preservation. M. occurs only with dry air, sufficient ventilation and elevated temperature; It is formed in the open air, in a ventilated room and during the burial of corpses in dry, coarse-grained and sandy soils. M.'s intensity also depends on body weight. This process is more susceptible to corpses that have a weakly expressed subcutaneous fat layer. With M., the corpse loses all the liquid, its mass is 1/10 of the original.
ossification - the stage of osteogenesis, in which mineralization (calcification) of the intercellular substance occurs. In the development of the skeleton, three stages are observed: connective tissue, cartilage and bone. Almost all bones go through these stages, with the exception of the bones of the cranial vault, most of the bones of the face, etc. There are the following types ossification: endesmal, perichondral, periosteal, endochondral.
Endesmal - occurs in connective tissue primary bones with the appearance of an island of bone substance (the nucleus of ossification) and radial spread (for example, the formation of the parietal bone).
Perichondral - occurs along the outer surface of the cartilaginous bone rudiments with the participation of the perichondrium. Further deposition of bone tissue is due to the periosteum - periosteal ossification.
Endochondral - takes place inside the cartilaginous rudiments with the participation of the perichondrium, which releases processes containing vessels into the cartilage. Bone-forming tissue destroys cartilage and forms an island - the core of ossification.
The vertebrae, sternum, epiphyses of the long tubular bones of the extremities ossify enchondrally; perichondral - the base of the skull, the diaphysis of the long bones of the limbs, etc.
rigor mortis - absolute early sign death, 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 type: first of all, the masticatory muscles stiffen, then the muscles of the neck, trunk and upper limbs and lastly - lower extremities. It is determined in all muscle groups 12-18 hours after death, reaching a maximum after 20-24 hours, and is retained for several days, after which it is resolved. It also develops in smooth muscle. Cathaleptic rigor mortis occurs at the time of death and retains the original posture of the corpse (for example, during the destruction medulla oblongata). Rigor mortis makes it possible to judge the prescription of death, fixes the posthumous posture of the deceased, makes it possible to decide on the movement of the corpse and changing its posture.
BONE REMAINS - bones of a corpse left after complete or partial decay of soft tissues and organs under the influence of natural processes (decay, destruction by insects and their larvae, small rodents and large animals, predatory fish, arthropods, birds, etc.). Can be preserved for centuries, are the object of forensic research.
Upon detection of O. to. affiliation to a missing person is established, i.e. the identity of the deceased is established. For this purpose, define anatomical features bone remains, their species affiliation, gender, age, race, height, structural features of the body according to bones, etc. Sex, age, race are determined by the bones of the skull, pelvis, condition of the teeth, other bones, growth - by long tubular bones, and it is possible determine the height of the bone fragments. A specific personality is established by private signs - anomalies anatomical structure, features of the teeth, traces of injuries and diseases, etc. The examined injuries on the bones can indicate the cause of death. Existing methods for studying bone remains make it possible to determine the age of burial of a corpse.
A forensic medical examination of bone remains is carried out in the medical forensic department of the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination.
PNEUMOTHORAX (air in the chest) - the penetration of air through the damaged chest wall or from a damaged lung and its accumulation between the pulmonary and parietal pleura, one of the formidable complications and manifestations of chest trauma. In this case, the lung collapses, the interpleural gap turns into a cavity.
Distinguish P. complete and partial, one- and two-sided; traumatic, surgical, spontaneous and artificial. Traumatic P. happens open, closed and valve. When P. is closed, the air that has entered the pleural cavity is soon absorbed (300-500 ml of air is absorbed within 2-3 weeks). With open and valvular P., a severe symptom complex of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, a picture of pleuropulmonary shock, leading in the next few hours after the injury to the death of the wounded, if he is not provided with medical assistance.
PTOMAINS (dead body, corpse) - cadaveric poisons, alkaloid-like substances formed in the process of decay of protein substances. These include: choline, neuridin, trimethylamine, cadaverine, putrescine, sarpin, midalein, midin, midatoxin. It is believed that various P. appear in the corpse during its decay not simultaneously, but in a certain sequence, which requires the expert to be careful when examining corpses.
STAFF SPOT - 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 translucence of blood through the skin, bluish-gray or bluish-purple. 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 prescription of the onset 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 the bright red color of P. T.); allow to establish the fact of the movement of the corpse, sometimes to solve other issues important for the investigation.
POST-MORTAL BIRTH - squeezing the fetus through birth canal from the uterus of the corpse of a pregnant woman with gases formed during decay.
TANATOLOGY (the doctrine of death) is a science that studies the process of dying, death, its causes and manifestations. Judicial T. - a section of thanatology that falls within the competence of forensic doctors - studies all types of violent death and sudden death.
Smoldering - the process of protein decomposition with air access, a small amount of moisture and the predominance of aerobic bacteria, one of the types of decay. T. is more intense than ordinary putrefaction, with more complete oxidation and is accompanied by a relatively small formation of foul-smelling gases.
Corpse (cadaver) - the dead body of a person (or animal), one of the objects of a 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 due to high content reduced hemoglobin in the blood.
EMPHYSEMA CAPIDA (bloating) - stretching of the organs and tissues of a corpse as a result of the formation and penetration into loose tissues and the subcutaneous base of gases resulting from decay. 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