F12

medical examiner

a physician who performs autopsies, determines the cause and manner of death, and oversees death investigations

algor mortis

cooling of the body after death

true or false body heat loss speeds up after 12 hours following death

false

true or false adipocere is a waxy material formed from the breakdown of fat during decomposition under very dry conditions

false

true or false once skin slippage begins, it is impossible to obtain fingerprints

false

true or false usually, children will lose body heat more slowly than adults

false

autopsy

medical examination to determine the cause of death

manner of death

one of five ways in which a person's death is classified (i.e., natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal, or undetermined)

autolysis

the breakdown of cells as they self-digest

decomposition

the breakdown of once-living matter by living organisms

cause of death

the injury or condition responsible for a persons death

livor mortis

the pooling of the blood in tissues after death that results in a red skin color

mechanism of death

the specific physiological, physical, or chemical event that stops life

rigor mortis

the stiffening of the skeletal muscles after death

true or false an autopsy is performed after an unexplained death to help explain the cause and manner of death

true

true or false a person who was running away froms someone before he or she died will go into rigor mortis sooner than a person who was sitting quietly

true

true or false cloudiness of the eyes occurs usually after 2 hours if the eyelids are open

true

which can issue death certificates but cannot perform autopsies? A. coroner B. pathologist C. medical examiner D. both the coroner and the pathologist

A. coroner

marbling occurs as a result of A. fats being broken down by bacteria B. chemical reactions of sulfur and hemoglobin C. lactic acid formation as a result of reduced oxygen levels in the blood D. muscles contracting after death

B. chemical reactions of sulfur and hemoglobin

which statement about the rate of decomposition is generally true A. the body of an overweight person will decompose faster than the body of a person who was not overweight B. decomposition will occur faster if the body is submerged in water than if it is on land C. a buried body decomposes more slowly than a body that is not buried D. ambient temperature does not affect the rate of decomposition

C. a buried body decomposes more slowly than a body that is not buried

which method of estimating postmortem interval is least reliable if a person has been dead less than 12 hours A. rigor mortis B. livor mortis C. potassium levels in the eye D. algor mortis

C. potassium levels in the eye

the body of a person known to have eaten mexican food at noon was found dead at 11pm. during the autopsy, the medical examiner found no food in the stomach but did find evidence of mexican food in the first half of the small intestine. Based on the post mortem interval estimate from the stomach contents only, which of the following times would be the best estimate of a postmortem interval A. between noon and 1pm B. between 1pm and 2pm C. between 2pm and 5pm D. between 4pm and 11pm

D. 4pm and 11pm

coroner

an elected official, either a layman or physician, who certifies deaths and can order additional investigations of suspicious deaths

putrefaction

destruction of soft tissue by bacteria that results in the release of waste gases and fluids